Safe and Sound
by MeechieNikole
Summary: A young girl is in the city of Gotham to find that Justice League and maybe some answers. But when sudden chaos entails, The Justice League has its sights on her... one member in particular.
1. Chapter 1

The earsplitting sound of an explosion forced everyone on the street to his or her knees. Screams erupted as the once tall building collapsed to the ground. A flurry of dust emerged and clogged everyone's throats.

I couldn't see much past the dust as people ran passed me. But I stayed planted to the ground. My eyes searched the sky for someone… anyone.

I was told that the Justice League was at hand during any massive destruction. But I'd never seen any of them in my life, though it had been the meaning of massive destruction.

"Ouch!" I shouted loudly as I felt the pressure of a stranger's knee smack my head. I stood quickly, realizing that maybe the ground wasn't as stable as I thought it was.

But I had to stay focused. I had a mission. And that mission was to find these so called Justice League members.

Rapidly, I could feel the ground around me shake. I looked to my left and to my right to find that most of the crowd had ran in either direction. The ones left kept their eyes to the sky in an almost mesmerizing fashion. I slowly followed their gaze.

I immediately understood why they were so fascinated. There was a beautiful, glowing pink light. But inside the light there seemed be specks of gold that slowly turned counter clock wise. And inside the gold specks, there was a beautiful woman with emerald green eyes and a radiant smile. But something was not right.

I felt the tips of my fingertips heat hastily and though my eyes were open, they also burned hot like a red fire. My body didn't heat up, though. The beautiful woman's radiant smile leisurely became an evil, hysterical frown. My mind broke away from the trance but my eyes stayed glued on the woman. My sight disappeared to a white sheet. A familiar feeling crept through my body and I knew exactly what was about to happen. I tried to force my powers down into the depths where they were supposed to stay, but it was too late. Something about the trance; something about the woman had set me off.

Suddenly, the air inside me was forced out and I felt my back slam into a brick substance. I gasped in pain as my sight returned. The force that had pushed me back was a man… in a mask. His hands stayed firmly on my shoulders. I could hear his rapid breathed as he searched me for answers with his eyes. I took his features. He was wearing an all black suit that covered his well-toned body with a navy bird on the front. His hair was short but growing.

"Why aren't you dead?" He growled angrily.

I don't know if it was the shock of the push this stranger had just given me or the shock of being pulled out of the trance and out of my powerful stupor: but I couldn't answer him.

"W-What?"

I blinked, unable to understand.

The masked stranger looked over his shoulder and I followed his lead. Out on the street where those once mesmerized citizens stood were piles of ashes. I gasped in horror as the stranger's eyes went back to me.

"No, no, no." I mumbled as I watched figures fly into the air and use powers to put out the fire. The Justice League was here. And one of its members was restraining me. Asking me why I wasn't a pile of ashes like the rest of the normal, mortal citizens.

"Who are you?"

His voice was softer and more astounded than anything. My gaze slowly turned to him. His face slowly became fuzzy.

"P-Phil…. H-He said…"

My speech became more difficult to surface.

"Phil? Phil who?" He asked.

"Y-You. Justice League…. Secrets…"

Everything in my head began to blur together. I knew what was going to happen. It was a common side affect to my issue.

"Secrets? What secrets? Hello? Stay with me."

"Cerebro" I mumbled.

The world and the masked stranger slowly disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2

His face danced in my head. I had seen his face so much that I memorized his exact features. From the jet black strands of hair that fell over the mask that covered his eyes, to the glistening beads of sweat that had dripped from his brow.

I knew that in order to have memorized every detail I had to have been dreaming for such a long time. But I was in no hurry to get up for two reasons.

1. Resting was so peaceful. It was so much better compared to the life I had to wake up to.

And

2. I couldn't quite remember where this stranger in my head had come from and what had happened to me to sleep so long.

And that was never a good sign. I had been in instances were I would wake up in the middle of destruction.

But Phil had taught me how to control my powers. Phil had taught me the peace and serenity found in martial arts. Phil had….

Phil…

Phil…

_PHIL_

My eyes shot up and I took in a breath of air. The taste of rubber ran up to my nose and the stench of metal traced down to my tongue. I didn't move my limbs but my eyes played wildly around the room.

They finally landed on the tube going up my right arm. I rip it off without hesitation. Then my eyes caught the tube on my left arm and I ripped that one off also. Though my mind was still foggy, I knew one thing was clear: I was in some sort of hospital.

I hate hospitals.

A deafening scream erupted from my lips as I sat up and pulled any of the remaining tubes out of me. Suddenly, the door bursts open and a man in a white jacket appears.

Angrily, I lifted my hand and an invisible forced pushed him back and into the large window. Abruptly, an alarm sounds. I look around for some sort of way out. My eyes reached the vent above me. I climbed on top of my bed and pulled the top off and jumped up to climb in. I quietly placed the vent back and began crawling.

I had no idea where to go but I followed my instincts until I hit a dead end. I turned back to face the direction I had come. This was the end of the line. Soon those horrible doctors would find me and who knows my punishment for hurting, maybe killing, a doctor.

I sighed and pulled my knees to my chin. What had I done? Why was I here? _Where was I?_

My thoughts were disrupted by the voices of people below me. But it was one voice that got my attention especially.

"What do you mean you're going to keep her here?" Phil bellowed.

"We need to do more tests on her. Figure out why she wasn't killed like so many others." A deep, condescending voice said calmly.

"Shouldn't we just be grateful and move on! I want my niece right now."

"There is something particular about your niece, Dr. Andrews. Something that kept her from being killed. Something that could be dangerous…. Unless you knew that already-"

"Let me tell you something Bats! I don't give two horses butts about what you think I know. All I know is that you Justice doers have my niece in some crazy hospital bed with no one to wake up to!"

"Dr. Andrews, I promise I'll keep her safe. But she wanted to tell me something. Before she fainted…"

I gasped at the familiarity of the third party voice. It was the masked stranger.

Hastily a fourth party joined the conversation. I bent down and put my ear at the bottom of the vent to heart.

"Batman… Nightwing, the girl has escaped."

"What?" The stranger spoke up.

"She woke up and she was… pissed."

I heard Phil snort.

"She hates hospitals."

I couldn't help but smile. But it faded to a frown when I felt the vent shake.

"Damn" I mumbled as I realized that the vents weren't made to hold me. I closed my eyes and prepared for the fall

Suddenly the bottom opened and the impact of the ground 15 feet down took the breath out of me.

"Found her." I heard the stranger say.

I opened my eyes slowly to see Phil, the stranger, and the legendary Batman staring down at me.

"Well you do know how to make an entrance don't ya kid?" Phil held out his hand. I reached out and grabbed it. He pulled me up to my feet without hesitation. I couldn't help but smile at him. He had been the only stable thing to happen to me so far.

But then I remembered our two other parties. I turned to face them.

"Happy to see you're… ok." The familiar stranger said, scratching his head awkwardly.

"Thanks… uhhh."

"Nightwing." Phil said for him. I looked at Phil who nudged me.

"Leila." I reached for his hand. I could sense the curiosity we both had for each other as we respectfully clutched hands.

"Leila, we have some questions for you." Batman said directly.

I side glanced at Phil who was watching Batman intently, but he did not speak up on my behalf. So I swallowed hard and prepared to be grilled.

"How did you defeat Eccessra?" Nightwing asked immediately.

My brows furrowed at the confusing question.

"I-I-I'm not understanding…" I spoke softly.

Nightwing looked over at Batman or permission. Batman gave him a swift nod. Nightwing took in some air. After he released he took one more long look at me.

"When we- I came onto the scene, you were mesmerized by Eccessra's mind trick. Eccessra is a long time enemy of the Justice League. While the other civilians were unfortunately burned to death by her powers, you remained, almost counteracting Eccessra's powers against her. By the time I pulled you away from her, she had 3rd degree burns while you had none."

I took a minute to take this in. I didn't remember counteracting anything. Phil hesitated but then spoke up.

"So what is your question?" He asked.

"Who are you?" Batman inquired intensely.

My eyes darted to the ground and then landed on Nightwing's.

"I was kinda hoping you could tell me" I stated softly.


	3. Chapter 3

She was good.

I'll give her that.

But there was something about her agility that made her even more mesmerizing. Her fiery red hair flowed in the wind as she flew past every obstacle without hesitation. But whenever a post transformed into a bullet-shooting weapon, all she did was raise her petite green fingers and the post would explode. Sometime she didn't have to raise her hand at all. All she had to do was look at the post and it would explode.

Yes. Miss Martian was good… very good.

So good, in fact, everyone in the observatory focused on her in silence. I sat in the back and watched the T.V screen, secretly wishing I had that much control of my powers.

It has been 3 weeks since I appeared at Mount Justice and it had been 3 weeks since I was left here alone. Well, not _alone_ parse. But Phil was forced to leave me in order for me to be properly train my powers. I didn't mind at first, living in Mount Justice. But the members of The Team didn't exactly welcome me with open arms. I wanted to spend most of my time with Nightwing because he was the only person I remotely knew. But he was the leader, which meant he was very busy. And I was just a guest.

"Good job, Miss Martian. Head back on up." Nightwing said through a speaker.

Everyone clapped and whispered as the transition was made. I took my eyes of the screen and glanced at the boy sitting next to me.

It was Conner Kent aka Superboy.

The one good thing about being a shadow in Mount Justice is that I have time to learn any and everything about everyone.

Besides, it wasn't hard to realize what Superboy was thinking about. His eyes stayed transfixed on the screen long after Miss Martian had disappeared.

"You stare any longer and you might appear on the screen." I joked lightly.

Superboy moved his eyes from the screen to me.

"Or maybe disappear instead." He mumbled.

I sighed and leaned back in my chair.

"I don't blame you. This place is-"

"Suffocating." Superboy finished as Miss Martian walked into the observatory. His electric blue eyes followed her as she walked over to the control desk and spoke with Nightwing. My eyes were glued on him.

"You like her." I stated finally.

Superboy looked over at me and back at the screen.

"Mind your business." He huffed crossing his well-toned arms.

I couldn't help but smile at his harsh personality. It reminded me of Phil. I leaned in and touched his leg.

"Look, if you don't want people to know, maybe you shouldn't make it so obvious." I whispered.

Superboy's face softened.

The screeching of the speaker sounded as Nightwing announced the next name to go into the training field.

"Leila." Nightwing announced.

I shot up from my bent posture and looked at Nightwing. That's when I noticed that everyone's eyes were on me. Unable to stand the rays of curiosity coming from every direction, I immediately stood and walked over to Nightwing. When I reached him, he was too busy trying to ignore me to notice that I stood right in front of him.

I coughed loudly and he looked up.

"What are you doing?" I asked lowly.

Nightwing touched another button.

"Batman's orders. He wants to see what you can do."

"And you didn't want to, ya know, _train_ me first?" I hissed leaning into him.

"This _is_ training Leila." Nightwing corrected.

"And I guess this suffices for not looking or talking to me for the last two weeks? I've been bored out of my mind and now you want me to embarrass myself in front of you Jr. superheros?"

"Hey-!" Miss Martian started but Nightwing stopped her.

He pressed a button and the door to the tube that would transport me to the obstacle course opened.

"Try." He insisted.

I looked back at Superboy whose eyes were fixed on me. I turned back to Nightwing, took one long glare at him, and stomped into the tube.

It wasn't until the doors of the tube closed and I was being shuttled to the training room that I realized how absolutely unprepared I was.

What was Nightwing playing at?

What was the point of me fighting without any type of training or answers to my questions the 3 weeks I'd been here?

My time for thought processing was over because the ride to the obstacle course was over. The doors slowly opened into darkness.

My eyes fixed themselves but I still could not see anything. Cautiously, I stepped out of the tube and onto a hard, echoing surface.

The scratching of the speaker went off.

"Just focus and do your best."

I heard Nightwing's voice bounce all around me.

I hated Nightwing for this. Whatever memory of feelings I had for him disappeared as soon as I stepped on that tube.

_Focus_. He said.

I could hear the concentration in his voice when he said it. But I felt a tinge in the bottom of my stomach because I could've sworn I had heard something else.

_Concern._

Suddenly, I was knocked off my feet and into the air. The force that had pushed me was so hard that the wind was knocked out of me even before I hit the wall on the other side. But when I did, a striking pain went to my head that left me disoriented.

My eyes searched the darkness for the source of this pain but I could find no one. Instead, I heard the whizzing of a blade coming straight for me. Instinctively, I dodged my head to the right just in time for the blade to make an imprint on the wall to my left.

The lights in the room slowly brightened as I saw my obstacles.

They weren't bullet shooting posts or measly bombs breakers.

They were robotic ninjas.

At least 20 of them.

I stood and looked at them in dismay.

"What the-?"

I didn't have time to finish my question because the robot ninjas were heading straight towards me. I managed to jump against the wall and flip to the other side.

One ninja caught my pattern and headed straight towards me. I ducked from its thrusting fists and slid my foot around the ground for it to trip.

As I rose from that small victory, I bent my back backwards to dodge another blade. I stood up straight and looked around for the source of the blades. Then I saw it, in the corner, perfectly hidden in the shadows.

I felt a small smirk on my face as I ran towards him but something tugged on my hair and sent me flying across the room. I hit the wall again and then hit the floor with a thud.

I looked up to see a ninja towering above me. I groaned in agony as it kicked me in the stomach. I felt my insides burn painfully. Another one then came, picked me up and flipped me over to the other wall. All the wind was out of my body, as I lay helpless on the ground. I could not make myself move or fight these ruthless robots. So instead, I curled into a ball and prepared to be beaten severely. I looked to the ground to see the shadows of the ninjas enlarged. I closed my eyes and braced myself for some kind of blow but it never came.

Thinking the robots had been made to enjoy an easy kill, I waited longer, slowly taking in deep breaths. But the blow still didn't come. I forced my eyes open and looked up at the unmoving ninjas. The one in the front was frozen with its hand raised high as if it was about to serve a deathly blow.

"Get out." A familiar dark voice echoed around the room.

I punched my fist to the ground and cursed.

_Batman_.

I took whatever dignity I had left and walked towards the tube. As the doors of the tube shut and shuttled me back to the observatory, I could feel heat reach my fingertips. I swallowed my anger and walked through the doors as it opened to a room full of silence. I ignored the other jr. heroes and went straight for Nightwing's control panel.

There to greet me was not only Batman, but also Superman and Wonder Woman.

The heat was now reaching every part of my limbs.

I stood in front of the fantastic trio along with Nightwing, Miss Martian, and Beast Boy.

"Are you alright?" Wonder Woman was the first to speak though her voice wasn't so concerning.

But I refused to give these people my voice. I just nodded.

"Well… erm … good try." Nightwing said.

I glared over at him.

"You may be seated." Batman said lowly.

I looked at all of them for a every long time. Then I defiantly turned my heel and went back to my seat. I ignored the snickers and avoided concern eyes from everyone. On my journey back to my seat, I felt a tug on my arm.

"Hey, at least you did it lookin good." Beast Boy hissed and winked at me. I rolled my eyes but couldn't help but smile. Beast Boy had been the nicest person I'd met so far. But I knew his sweetness only came from his whopping crush on me. He followed me back to my seat next to Superboy. I felt a lot of pain release as I finally sat down.

"You ok?" Superboy whispered.

I nodded, trying to find my voice.

"That was seriously instense." Superboy added in my favor.

"Yeah, no new trainee gets the ninjas. That's an upper level." Beast Boy chimed in.

I looked over at Beast Boy.

"Upper level? I haven't even been trained yet?" I hissed angrily.

"That's exactly what Nightwing told Batman." Beast Boy agreed.

Superboy and I looked at each other and then leaned in to hear more from our green friend.

Beast Boy sighed and looked back at the control panel. The trio was in deep conversation with Nightwing. Miss Martian, who was standing next to them glanced over at me. I quickly focused my attention back on Beast Boy.

"Ok… Well when I went to the kitchen to get some grub last night, I overheard Batman instructing Nightwing to get you to do the Level 9 training obstacle in training for the next day. Well Nightwing had this big dramatic scene about how you weren't ready and how he hadn't been authorized to train you-…"

"Authorized?" I asked.

"Yea. Nightwing said that he would be in charge of your training as soon as he got the ok from the League. But that was 3 weeks ago. And no one has said a word about you or your training until last night."

"Why are they taking so long to train her?" Superboy asked.

I couldn't help but smile at his sudden interest in my problems.

"Because they're trying to figure out if she's a risk or not. And who she is and where she came from. Anyways, Batman told Nightwing to do it anyways just to see what she had. And Nightwing doesn't question Batman too much. Good thing too cause they are horrible together when they don't agree."

"So Nightwing was on my side?" I whispered.

Beast Boy pondered.

"Well if you wanna put sides on it, I guess so. But everyone's on your side, Leila."

"Yea right." I mumbled under my breath. I looked up again and saw that they were still conversing. I looked over at Superboy.

"You've got amazing hearing, right?" I asked.

There was no need to say anymore. Superboy closed his eyes and focused on the conversation between the 4 leaders.

Beast Boy and I waited anxiously.

"Nightwing is arguing about how you were thrown into this mess. How you weren't prepared." Superboy started.

I smiled to myself. I had misjudged Nightwing.

"Wonder Woman says that it shouldn't matter. That you showed potential during the ash incident. Superman says that you may not belong with the team. That you're too fresh… Nightwing says you're perfect for the team. Batman says you're too weak-…"

"Weak?" I hissed angrily. I felt the heat wash through my whole body. Without hesitation, I stood.

My feet carried me to the panel despite whispered urges from Superboy and Beast Boy.

When I reached the panel, the conversation stopped and everyone looked at me. Miss Martian almost glared.

"Can we help you?" Batman asked.

"No you can't. But I'll help myself." I stated. I reached in my pocket and pulled out the only thing that kept me sane for the past 3 weeks, my MP3 player. I moved past them and to the panel. I looked for the USP port and found an empty one. I put my MP3 on the port and picked just the song for the moment.

Suddenly, Suppermassive Black Hole by Muse was blasting through the speakers everywhere. Everyone gasped at the sudden noise. I ignored glares of curiosity and pressed the button that opened the doors to the tube. I stepped in and the doors closed. I closed my eyes and focused on my obstacles instead of the fit Batman must be having upstairs.

When the doors opened again, I could hear the music blaring through the course. I smiled to myself and stepped out of the tube. I closed my eyes and tried to see with my ears and not my eyes like Phil had taught me to do so many times.

I felt my powers flowing through me like a calm, steady stream. Then I heard it, something I hadn't heard the first time. I heard the mechanical footsteps of the robots lining up around me. The echoing surface was in my favor.

I opened my eyes and could see everything magnificently. The first ninja to run my way, I immediately high kicked it in the face, knocking it to the ground … K.O.

The next one aimed for my hair again, I spun around before it could grip my ends and flip kicked it to the ground. Suddenly, I was surrounded by ninjas.

As the music flowed through my ears, I calmly waited as they collectively ran towards me. I counted the seconds, took a deep breath, and raised my hands.

Everything seemed to be in slow motion now. I could hear the footsteps slowly running towards me. But just in time, I crouched down and touched the ground. Like magic, bolders of rock from the ground below lifted up and smashed each ninja, leaving bits and pieces of machinery flying into the air.

As the dust settled, the song died down and ended. I took in the silence for a moment, relishing in the pure shock that must be on everyone's faces upstairs. I couldn't wait to see those faces.

I calmly walked back into the tube and it shuttled me back to the observatory once again. When I entered, no one said a word. That is, except for Beast Boy, cheering in the back of the room. I defiantly walked up to the control panel, ignored the leaders, grabbed my MP3, and began walking back. On my way back to my seat, I overheard Nightwing chuckle and say,

"How's that for weak?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note**: _Hey everyone! It's MeechieNikole here. I would first like to say that I am soooooo sorry it's taken so long to upload the next chapter. I've been working and trying to get transferred to another school so I've been quite busy. With that said I would like to thank EVERYONE that's written reviews and compliments because you all keep me going! If you read my story, I LOVE feedback and it only takes 5 seconds. I hope you all like this chapter and there will be more to come! Thanks for all the love and support. I love Young Justice as much as you do and I hope I'm doing it justice by writing this FanFic! Enjoy and be blessed!_

_MeechieNikole_

I sat in my room waiting for the punishment that was sure to come. Now that I was in silence and had time to ponder my thoughts, I realize how irrational and stubborn I had been.

Of course Beast Boy thought that my actions were amazing and Superboy told me over and over again that he would've done the same thing. But more than any other opinion, I wonder Nightwing's. He apparently believed that I had the capability to be a member of The Team. But was that my goal? To be a member of any team? I had come here with questions that had yet to be answered. Was I settling now?

I heard the door to my bedroom slide open automatically. I felt my heart quickened when I turned and saw Nightwing leaning against the doorframe. I expected an angry frown or a glare of disapproval, but all that reflected on his face was a condescending smirk.

My panic and guilt quickly transformed to annoyance.

"What?" I asked quickly.

Nightwing shook his head and stepped in fully so the door automatically slid closed. He looked up at me.

"He was right. Of course he was right."

I looked at him quizzically. What was he talking about?

Nightwing came over and sat next to me.

"Batman. He read you like a book almost."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"He knew that getting you upset would trigger your powers. How he knows this stuff, is way beyond me."

I stood and backed away from him.

"What do you mean, Nightwing?"

Nightwing stood also.

"I'm saying that Batman said what he said because he figured your emotions are strongly attached to your powers. Like many beginners."

"Wait….. So… you mean…"

Everything began to process in my head. What Superboy had heard… it was… a trick!

I glared over at him.

"How did he even know that Superboy was listening?"

"That was my doing. When I saw you two begin to talk, I knew that you two were much like one another. Stubborn and dedicated to proving yourself."

I raised my hand to slap him but he caught it mid air. In almost a second, he twisted my wrist and locked my arm behind my back. He moved his chin to nestle on my shoulder. I could feel his warm breath on my neck.

"Lesson 1: Don't be vulnerable. Be prepared."

My struggle to break free ceased as a new set of information processed in my head.

"You mean...?"

Nightwing chuckled.

"Your training begins now."

I smirked and loosened my grip. Within a second, I turned the tables and had him in an arm lock.

"How's that?" I asked, my chin now nestled on his shoulder.

"Good."

But before I could even take in the victory, Nightwing flipped behind me and put my arm back in the same lock.

I growled with frustration.

Finally Nightwing let go.

"I think that's enough for today. I've got some business to attend to." Nightwing let my wrist go and turned to leave.

"Does any of the business include finding out who I am?" I asked him, rubbing my tense wrist.

Nightwing stopped midstep but did not turn around. After a long moment he sighed.

"We're trying, Lelia. Just give it time."

And with that, Nightwing was gone. And so was my momentary hope for closure.

The weeks that passed were much more bearable. Superboy and Beast Boy became my best friends. We unconsciously began to cling to each other's presence. I learned much about each of them and in return they knew everything about me. Or, at least, everything I would allow anyone to know.

Superboy even began to loosen up now that he had something to busy himself from his emotions. That was until one day, he burst into my room in a fit of anger.

If the doors weren't automatic, I swear he would've broken it closed off it's hinges.

I stopped reading and looked over at him.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked sitting up on my bed.

"The fact that that disgusting excuse for a hero Lagoon Boy think he can speak to me any way he wants! And then kiss Ma'gnn right in my face!" His words were separate and clear. I knew that he was about to explode.

Just in time, Beast Boy walked in.

"Hello Superboy, beautiful." He winked in my direction. He finally got a look at Superboy's wild face.

"Beast Boy, Code 10."

Beast Boy nodded and we both drug Superboy to the roof of the building through my window.

As soon as we reach it, Superboy shouted angrily, painfully, and punched into the metal exterior of the building.

Beast Boy and I stood away from him, helpless. Finally, Superboy began to calm down. He shrunk to his knees and took deep breaths.

I looked over at Beast Boy and nodded. We both walked over to our friend and knelt beside him.

"Superboy… you ok?" Beast Boy asked.

"No." I growled under his breath.

I touched his shoulder.

"It sucks. Ya know, to love someone that you can't have. But the only thing you can do is be happy for their happiness." I said softly.

Beast Boy scratched his neck feeling suddenly awkward about this vulnerable moment.

"I'm gonna go… err… do something." Beast Boy mumbled. He stood, turned into a Spider Monkey, and left.

Superboy was silent for a moment. When he spoke next, his voice could barely be heard.

"I had never seen him look at anyone like that. It was as if he was mesmerized for a moment. But then again… you are pretty amazing." His gazed met mine.

"Whom are you talking about?" I asked.

"Nightwing…. When we responded to the disaster… He was the first to notice you floating in the air on this… this... invisible harness. Then your eyes turned gray…" He stopped and looked away into the distance.

"We had never seen something so…scary… but great."

It took a moment to realize that he was talking about what I had done… when Nightwing had pushed me into a brick wall.

"I would be scared too. Nightwing was right to knock me down."

Superboy looked over at me and then looked at his hands.

"He was never scared, Leila. Just… intrigued."

I didn't have time to figure out what Superboy was getting at, because an alarm went off. An alarm that set Superboy upright and put me in instinct mode. The Team was needed

Superboy and I rushed to the center of Mount Justice, the Control Center. There to greet us was every member of The Team. Nightwing stood in the center ready to give orders.

"There's been some stolen data from a technology center in London. So far the League has figured out that the culprits are members of a new rising cult called the Likens. Alpha team, Superboy, Miss Martian, Beast Boy, and I will head down to one of their secret meeting places to see if we can get some answers to what they're planning to do with that data. Lagoon Boy, Robin, Blue Beetle, and Bumble Bee, I want you all to go down to the technology center and collect any clues. Wonder girl and batgirl, Batman has a special mission for you two back in Gotham. Let's go people!"

Everyone began to break up into groups and disappear to their missions. I was left standing in the center alone. Nightwing was typing away at the computer.

I walked up to him.

"When can I go-"

"Not now, Leila. I've got a lot on my plate. And babysitting you is not one of them."

I looked taken back.

"Babysit? I can take care of myself, Nightwing. Without your help."

Nightwing sighed and looked over at me. He took one step towards me and put both hands on my shoulders.

"You wanna help?" He asked exasperated.

"Yes!" I pleaded.

He turned and pressed a button on the screen. Then he turned back to me.

"Watch the screen for any calls from Batman. Let me know if you do." He then walked right passed me to go to his mission.

I balled my fists in anger. Sudden the computer announced a familiar name as his façade came into view.

"Never trust a former sidekick of the bat. They've always got secrets."

"Phil!" I smiled happily.

He smirked and held up a case.

"You wanna be a super hero? Gotta dress like 'em first." He winked.

A mischievous smirk arose on my face as I realized what was in this rather large case.

"Let's do it."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:**

_Hey guys!_

_So the next chapter is out pretty early, right? I'm proud of myself. Especially since today was my day off of work. I just wanted to fill you guys in on a few things. First, I realized that I was so into the plot that I've forgotten the details of what my OFC looks like. Well, in this story you get more info on what Leila looks like. I may have put details in the previous chapters about her appearance but I'm gonna stick with the details I put in this chapter. If I put anything different from what's in this chapter, I'll read it over and make changes. Secondly, I know a lot of you are excited about Leila's costume. I would first like to thank BraiiWriting for their wonderful ideas for the costume. I made sure to add some of their details into this chapter. I will also be putting up a images of her costume at the end of this chapter so you can get a feel of what it looks like. My details will be a little bit different but it's a general sense. Thirdly, I was told by another viewer that first, Leila's powers weren't clear and second that my story said 'Complete' when it should have said 'In-Progress'. Well, as for the story, it is officially 'In-Progress'. As for Leila's powers, the truth will evolve with the story. So be patient. You'll get a gist every chapter. Lastly, ENJOOOOYYYYYY. I love you guys I really do! Tell your friends about me and enjoy. More to come soon, loves!_

_MeechieNikole_

I felt the smooth leather cling to my skin as I put on the new, sleek costume that Phil and delivered to me. I looked at myself in the mirror a little distraught. Though I had not come here to become a superhero, the thirst for the excitement that my friends must get on a mission has overwhelmed me. Also, I felt an urge to do more than contemplate my very being or whether I was a trustworthy member of this team.

I leaned closer to the mirror to take in the amount of change I'd gone through in a matter of weeks. My usual shoulder length jet-black hair was 3 inches longer. My emerald green eyes were much more piercing and lively than I had seen them before. And my olive skin radiated a type of glow that only training could provide. I could also see the toning of my muscles after the training I've been going through with Nightwing.

As I looked at the black leather skin I was now in, I knew what I wanted to focus on. I knew what my heart yearned for and my inner powers were fighting for. I didn't just want to be guest. I wanted to be a member of The Team. My past, no matter how blurry and untouched it was, would have to wait.

"You look good, Leila!" Phil said leaning against the frame of my bathroom door. I turned to him and smiled.

"This is amazing, Phil. It's stretchy and wonderfully flexible."

"Hard to make leather to that, doll. And that's not all that suit does."

I turned back to the mirror.

"Of course it's not." I smirked.

"The suit is fire retardant and nearly unbreakable. It also has some technical stuff added to it. Like the hands have extra grip for you to climb on walls. I also got you a neat little tool belt for little knick-knacks. Your boots have sharp ended heels, good for messin' any guy up. And… this…"

I turned and saw a small mask in the palm of his hands. I looked up at him and back at the mask.

"For your protection." He smiled.

I sighed and thought it through. Who exactly was I kidding? My protection didn't matter because no one cared about me. And besides Phil, I had no one to protect. Why would I need a mask? I'm not anyone special.

"You need it," Phil said, reading my mind, "You may not know much, but what you know should be enough."

I turned and looked in the mirror. I closed my eyes to keep the flashes of sohrt, foggy memories from coming back.

"I wish I could remember, Phil. I wish I could remember my life before I wondered to your door."

"With time, Leila. I'm glad you came to my door. You're the best thing in my life. You're like a daughter to me."

I turned to him, my concerns flustering before me.

"But who's daughter am I really?" I begged, though I knew that he didn't know the answer.

He pushed the mask into my chest.

"Find out. Either with the League's help or on your own."

My hands clasped around the dainty object. I looked back at Phil.

"It's about time you figured out who you were, Leila." He urged.

I slowly put the mask on my face. I turned to the mirror and saw that the skin surrounded my eyes was covered along with my nose.

"Oh! And these…"

Phil handed me long black gloves that covered my bare arms all the way to my elbow. I put them on and then turned back to him.

"I put view sensors in the mask so I can see everything that's going on from my computer. Here's an earpiece. So we can communicate." He held a small object in the palm of his hand

I nodded, took the small piece and plugged it into my ear.

"Now, on my way here, I managed to find out where Nightwing and his gang of super zeros were located. I think it's best you follow them, find your clues, and see if it ties into the chip."

I stopped for a minute. Almost forgetting about the chip that I had once clung to for dear life.

That's when it really hit me. I couldn't escape my past. If anything, my ignorance was forcing me to take it head on.

Here's what I knew. There was thunder that night. And the lightening was so bright that it would light the sky as if it were morning. But, strangely, there was no rain. I don't remember walking up to Phil's town house. I don't even remember what or who led me there. But there I was, knocking frantically at his door, my clothes clinging to my body as my sweat drenched every inch of fabric. The only clue was a small chip that I clung tightly to.

When Phil and I looked at the chip, there had just been a slur of symbols that could not be deciphered.

No, my past was right at my coat tails. It was about time I accepted that.

"I need a way to get there." I stated coldly.

Phil nodded and thought.

"Well…. I could drop you off…" He stated.

I snorted at the thought of stepping out of Phil's 1992 volkswagon in this getup.

"Well we gotta come up with something!" He argued.

A thought passed my mind and a smirk rose to my face. The perfect payback to Nightwing was within my reach.

"I know where to go."

We went to the basement of Mount Justice and the automatic doors slide open to reveal a rather large, dark room. Slowly the lights illuminate the room to reveal a slew of vehicles.

"Holy…" Phil mumbled.

"I'm not supposed to know about this. But hey, a girl can get curious when not busy for 3 weeks." I smiled like a kid in a candy store.

"I'm voting for this one." Phil said sliding his fingers along the hood of a silver 2012 Vipor."

"No. I have something in mind already." I smiled stepping up to a black and royal blue high tech motorcycle and in the back right corner right above the tire, was a bird symbol. My heartbeat quickened with the thought of drive it. I eyed the keys that were already set in the ignition.

"Wow. Nightwing's bike huh? You trying to make him hate you?" Phil asked.

I didn't answer. Instead I swung my right leg around the bike and clutched onto the handles.

Immediately a small screen appeared as if waiting for a commandment.

"Find Nightwing." I stated clearly. It only took the screen seconds to evolve into a map with a small blinking red dot.

"They're not in London afterall." Phil inquired.

"Which means he's hiding something from me." I squinted my eyes tightly in frustration.

"I'm with you every step of the way kiddo."

I started the bike and leaned over, ready to speed off.

"Thanks Phil." I mumbled. I then kick up the brakes and sped off.

"_Do you see anything?"_

Phil had been a nag in my ear since I appeared on the scene Nightwing's bike had led me to.

"Not. Yet." I mumbled.

I was crotched on the roof of a building right next to a huge window that dropped into a larger room.

"_Well have you actually __**looked?**_"

Anger and frustration pulsed out of me. But Phil was right; I had climbed up this way and stayed glue to this spot in this position for at least 6 minutes. My actions spoke for my bravery. I was not trained from birth like Nightwing basically was. Or at least not that I knew of.

"I can't do this." I mumbled, pressing my finger to my right ear.

"_What the heck to you mean you can't. You've come all this way! I worked hard on the damn suit!"_

I rolled my eyes and looked around to make sure I hadn't disturbed anything.

"This is not what I had planned to do Phil! You and I agreed that the League was the best source to find answers to my past. Get the answers and leave. Not wait for answers and become a super hero wanna be!" I hissed at the piece.

"_Leila! Whether you like it or not, THIS is your destiny. You have been given great powers. You must use them to the advantage of the good. If you haven't listened to anything I've ever said, listen to this: YOU are what this League needs. And this League is what you need. Now quit bitching and-"_

I stopped listening. There was a painful cry coming from the larger room down below. I hushed Phil and crawled towards the edge of the window. My breathing was cut short. I knew the sound of Nightwing's voice, but I'd never heard it in so much pain. But now, I knew why he was forced to allow such sounds to leave him.

I was watching Nightwing being stabbed in his side stomach. I had to put my hand to my mouth to keep from screaming. I felt the heat rise to every inch of my body and my vision began to blur.

"_Focus, Leila. I see what you see but you must stay focused."_

I swallowed air and gained my strength back. With calamity over me, and the idea that it could leave at any moment, I scanned the room below me.

It was some sort of lab with lots of machines. And handcuffed to machines were not only Miss Martian, Superboy, and Beast Boy, but also Batman and Superman. I squinted harder to see that the cuffs that held Superman and Superboy were laced with Kryptonite. I also notice that they along with Batman and Beast Boy were on the verge of passing out.

They tossed Nightwing onto the floor and he slid and hit the machine that was hanging Batman.

"_Put your first and middle left fingers to the glass."_ Phil whispered as if he were with me.

I did as he said and I could immediately hear what was being said in the room below.

"You're gonna have to talk at some point, Nightwing. Either now, or when the boss gets here. Now where is the girl?"

This came from the thug that had stabbed Nightwing. He was wearing camouflaged pants with a white long sleeved shirt and a red vest. The other goons that surround him had the same type of outfits on. There were only two people that weren't dressed as him and those were dressed in lab coats as if they were scientists.

Nightwing did not respond. He just gripped onto his side.

"You wont… get away with this…" Batman mumbled lowly.

"Oh really?" This voice wasn't as rugged as the goon's. It was much more soothing and calm, which made it even more petrifying. I was soon able to view the person that matched the voice. He was dressed in an expensive black suit and had his manicured hands folded behind his back.

One look at this man and anyone could tell he was the mastermind behind this show. But something else set me off. When I was able to view his ice-cold blue eyes, something in me snapped. I felt my hands shake. I pressed my lips together in an effort to focus. My fingers remained on the glass and my eyes remained on this soothingly evil man.

I knew him. Which meant that I was the girl he wanted.

He walked up to Nightwing and crotched down next to him.

"I saw you take her, Nightwing. She was all over the news. Where is she?" He asked softly.

Nightwing groaned and coughed for a moment but rose his head up long enough to put some strength in his voice.

"Bite me." He said loud enough for this words to bounce around the walls.

The man face twisted into a smile and he chuckled humorously. Then, in almost a second, He pushed his first and middle finger deep into Nightwing's wound. Nightwing shrieked out in pain. I removed my fingers from the glass and crawled back, unable to take his painful cries.

_"Leila. You've got to do something."_ Phil urged.

I closed my eyes. I was focusing all right. I channeled all my anger to one place, my powers; just like Nightwing had taught me in a training session. I took two long, deep breaths and slowly opened my eyes. Like before, everything was in extraordinary color. Every inch of my view was heightened. But my body remained calm and centered. My hands were no longer shaking, but the ground beneath me was.

Not only was my sight heightened, so was my hearing. I looked down and saw the familiar man watch as his goons surrounded him and pointed their guns in every direction. My friends became alert and looked around for the source of destruction.

The man laughed.

"She's here!" He cried excitedly. I felt the intensity boil through my veins. He then turned back to Nightwing, he voice lowered.

"She saw you get hurt, and decided to rock the place. Interesting." Without hesitation, he picked up Nightwing, twisted his arm around his back and put him against his chest for protection.

"Come out Leila!" The man shouted.

Phil was muttering something but my hearing was so intent on this man that Phil was completely blocked out.

I took in a deep breath. I raised my hands and wind blew the glass out of its frame. I crouched on the edge and hopped over the newfound opening. When I hit the ground, I could feel all eyes on me. But mine were on the man's.

"Gray eyes and pulsing veins. You're angry." He stated calmly.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

The man laughed and twisted Nightwing's arm harder. He yelped in pain. My anger subsided for the guilt I felt for Nightwing's pain.

"Stop it." I pleaded.

"You mean to tell me you don't remember my face?"

I finally took a better look at him. He was pale skinned with salt and pepper colored hair. But what distinguished him was the long, red scar the stretched over his left eye and ran all the way to the end of the left side of his lip.

"I did that." I said automatically. Though I could not recollect any memory of doing that.

"Absolutely, Leila… I've been looking for you for a very long time. You sure do know how to run away."

I looked at Nightwing and then to Batman who was glaring at me from his trap on the wall.

"I-I ran away from you?" I asked slowly.

The man stopped and looked back at Batman, his expressions somewhat surprised.

"Don't tell me Batman didn't fill you in. He knows everything about you, Leila. Or at least, everything he discovered."

My it was my turn to glare at Batman.

"He has told me nothing." I said.

"This is why I never trust super heroes. They keep their secrets from the rest of the world. But you, Leila, you were always so much more. And I saw that more than your parents did…"

"My parents?" My voice rose.

"There's so much you don't know. Now if you come with me, I'll let you know everything. And as a bonus I'll let your friends live."

"Don't do it!" Beast Boy bellowed.

I felt myself come back to earth at the sound of his voice.

The man glared at Beast Boy. He snapped his fingers and one of his goons ran over and shocked him with an electric stick. Beast Boy shrieked but was silenced.

"Stop!" I shouted. A fierce wind blew through and knocked the goon of his feet and into a machine; hitting his head and knocking him out.

I heard Nightwing groan as the man twisted his arm.

"Stop!" I shouted raising my hand to him.

"You hurt me, you hurt him!" The man shouted.

I stopped and slowly put my hand down.

"Make a choice." The man said lowly.

I looked at him and then to my friends. Then I looked over at Batman whose face was set in stone.

"Leila."

I shot my head over to Nightwing. He struggled to speak.

"Don't…" But that's all he was allowed to say before the man stuck his fingers into his wound once more.

I closed my eyes and knew that I had to get my friends to safety. No matter what it took.

"What's it gonna be? Easy way or hard way?" The man asked triumphantly.

I opened my eyes.

"I was never one for the easy way out." I said. I raised my hand and rock from beneath the floor broke up and hit the man, separating him from Nightwing. Nightwing feel to the floor, too hurt to move. I then touched the ground and a burst of wind knocked the rest of the goons out. I ran over to the control machine and tried to find the release button for my friends.

"The blue button!" Superboy said faintly.

I looked over the panel and finally found the blue button. The handcuffs released my friends and they fell to their knees. I ran and knelt next to Nightwing.

"Nightwing! Can you hear me? Please-…"

"Nice job rookie." He mumbled; a weak smile rose on his face.

I couldn't help but smile also.

"We need to get him to the ward now. You all get on the ship." Batman ordered.

I shot a looked at Batman.

"Nightwing's bike! I drove it here-..."

"I'll get it. Go!" Batman urged.

Superboy, though still weak from the Kryptonite, picked up Nightwing jogged through the doors. Superman stepped behind Batman.

"You guys better go before Cane wakes up. Especially you, Leila." Superman added.

I looked at the man laying on the ground unconscious.

_Cane_

So that was his name.

"Come on." Beast Boy grabbed my wrist. He and Miss Martian led me out of the building and into the hovercraft.

I went immediately to Superboy who was placing Nightwing on a cot. Beast Boy took a seat and the control panel and Miss Martian took the center seat as the pilot.

I bent down next to Nightwing. He breathing was long and painful. Superboy walked away and took a seat next to Beast Boy as Miss Martian raised the craft from the ground.

I grabbed Nightwing's hand and brushed the hair from his face. He squeezed it tightly and chuckled.

"I don't usually look this bad after a mission."

I smiled weakly.

"Why did he do this to you?" I asked.

"He will do anything to get you, Leila. I just can't let him take you away from… from…the team."

I felt my heart sink a little.

"What does he want with me?"

Nightwing squirmed in pain.

"He wants to use you. For what, we're not sure." He whispered.

"Nightwing, I'm so sorry." My voice began to quiver.

"For what? Your disobedience saved our lives."

I couldn't take his compliment. I looked away from him. He removed his hand from mine and put his finger under my chin, forcing me to look at him.

"You did good." He smiled and slowly closed his eyes.

I watched him sleep for a moment and then sat back onto the floor, allowing the steady beat of the flying ship soothe my fears.

Then I looked back over at Nightwing. First the first time, I truly understood how beautiful he was.

General Sense of Leila's Costume:

Suit: a href=" /images/blackwidow" target="_blank"img src=" albums/ac151/Ebony_Gurl_ " border="0" alt="blackwidow Pictures, Images and Photos"/a

Nightwing's Bike (Black and Royal BLue instead): .


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note**:

_I am on a roll here! I've got so many ideas flying through my mind I just can't type them down fast enough. So here's Chapter 6! Out only ONE DAY after Chapter 4 AND 5! WHOOO HOOOO lol I'm having so much fun writing this story! But you guys are what really keeps me going! So continue to comment and I'll continue to dish this stuff out!_

_MeechieNikole_

I'm not sure about a lot of things in my life. For instance, I wasn't sure if Batman was human or just some mutant-talking bat. I also wasn't sure about my unsteady past. But there were two things I was positively sure of.

1. I had some type of feelings for Nightwing.

And…

2. I was completely insane.

The second one was much more reliable than the first. But each one, in it's own twisted way, was the truth. And as I sat on the pale tile floors outside the ward, twiddling my fingers around in a circle, it took all I had not to burst through the door demanding answers.

It had been 2 hours. Do they not know anything in 2 hours? Do they know what could happen in 2 hours?

I sighed heavily in frustration and brought my knees to my chin. Superboy, Beast Boy, and even Batman had come up for new information. But while they all left to get some rest, I stayed.

5 minutes later, at 3:15 a.m., the door to Nightwing's room opened and out came the same scientist that I had knocked the wind out of my first day here. I scramble to my feet and stood in front of him.

He looked at his clipboard and then at me.

"He'll be fine." He smiled.

I felt the weight of the world burst into ashes and lift off my shoulders like feathers. I exhaled so loud and hard, I felt as if I might blow the scientist away again.

"Is he awake?" I asked, finally able to find my voice.

"Yes. He insists on staying that way. Although I insist on him taking these pills to ease him into sleep." He held out two small purple pills as if challenging me to do the task.

I rolled my eyes and took them from his hands. I watched as he walked off and turned around the corner. I inhale and exhaled so many times that I began to get lightheaded. This could not be real. I was nervous? I ignored my girlish feelings and opened the door.

Unfortunately all those feelings rushed back when I saw him in hospital shirt and pants doing push ups. I leaned against the doorframe and watched him for a few seconds. Though he was struggling with the pain and the limits of the new bandages, his push-ups were incredibly effortless.

"You never stop do you." I asked.

Nightwing gave one last push and stood. When he turned to me, I noticed that his mask was the only piece of costume he had left on.

I walked up to him, in somewhat a daze, to touch the mask. I was thrown out of my daze when he grabbed my wrist in mid air.

"The mask stays." He ordered, his voice was soft though.

"Afraid I'm Cane in disguise?" I asked; a little wounded at his fast actions.

"Every hero deserves his few secrets. The mask stays."

I snatch my wrist away from him. My temporary airy feeling about him disappeared and bitterness took its place.

"Does that include secrets of a friend's?" I spat.

Nightwing sighed and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Alright, get it out." He breathed.

And I did.

"How could you keep information on _my_ past from me? That's exactly what I came here for! Did you expect me to play your little trainee and forget why I was here? And the fact that you _lied_ to my face just pisses me off! You are the most selfish, arrogant, self absorb guy I've ever met. Just like that mutant bat thing!"

"Wait… _what?_" Nightwing interrupted.

"Ugh! Forget it. It was a mistake coming here." I mumbled turning to leave. Nightwing grabbed my arm and spun me towards him. His lips could touch my nose; we were so close.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

I tried to find my voice but it had somehow gotten lost in the drowning fast beat of my heart. I steadied my heartbeat and then found my voice once again.

"So am I." I managed to say.

"Leila… he's dangerous. I don't know how he's connected to your past. But he's not a good memory. Trust me." He spoke softly. I raised me head up to him so that our lips were closer.

"That's a hard thing to do now." I mumbled lowly. I then stepped away and loosened his grip on my arm.

"Leila…"Nightwing pleaded but I stopped him.

"The doctor wants you to take these pills. You should listen to him." I dropped the pills in his hand. I turned to leave. As I closed the door behind me, I watched him drop the pills in his mouth.

"Steady…. Steady… NOW" Superboy sounded from the other side of the room. Given the queue, I stretched out my arms and clapped my hands together, sending a gust of wind towards the target. One puff and the target was knocked off its hinges.

"Yes!" Superboy shouted. He ran over, picked me up, and spun me around. I couldn't help but laugh. Training with Superboy while Nightwing regain his strength had been fun but it lacked the focus that Nightwing had stressed so much of. But it was a good change.

Our antics stopped when a loud, purposeful cough echoed through the gym. Superboy and I looked over to see M'gann and Beast Boy standing by the door. Each one had a small frown on their faces.

Superboy quickly sat me down and I straightened my clothes.

"Batman wants to see you, _Leila_." She said my name with such intensity that I gulped.

I nodded and walked passed them all. I heard Beast Boy hiss to Superboy as we walked to the Center Control room.

"Stay away from my woman."

In return, Superboy snorted.

When we reached the room, Nightwing and Batman were waiting for us. I hadn't talked to Nightwing in a couple of days since our last encounter. I hadn't seen him either so it was a little alarming to see him now.

"Hello Leila." Batman stated more politely than he'd ever been to me.

"Feeling guilty?" I greeted.

Though everyone looked at me, somewhat shocked at my rude response, Batman chose to ignore it.

"I have a mission for you and Nightwing." He stated.

Now it was my turn to look somewhat shocked.

"Mission? You mean one I'm actually permitted to go on?" I asked.

"Yes," Batman's voice tensed, "You want to be a part of discovering Cane then you'll need to go on some missions."

I couldn't agree more on that part.

"So what where are we going?"

"A fundraiser ball. Masquerade, actually." Batman stated.

I eyed the both of them.

"It's perfect, no one will recognize you, you know, if there's someone who would." Nightwing finally spoke.

"Why are we going there though?"

"Cane is working close with a self proclaimed Russian entrepreneur and play boy, Artur Asimov. We've gained information that Asimov is holding the data stolen from the British database in the lower area of his mansion, the same mansion where his annual masquerade ball will be held… tonight. I need you and Nightwing to go there disguised and get the data."

"So… you want me to find a dress and go parade around at some party while looking for the secret passage way to his lair? My kind of mission." I clapped my hands together.

"The dress is already taken care of," M'gann stepped forward, "I haven't gone shopping for human items in a long time. I couldn't help myself. Your outfits are in your rooms."

I glanced and Nightwing and noticed his eyes were glued on me.

"Well I'll go get ready then." I turned my heel and went to my room.

Superboy and Beast boy followed me to my room. They waited out in the bedroom while I tried the dress of in the bathroom.

"This is a little ridiculous, don't you think?" I called from the bathroom.

"I think it's pretty cool. Dressing up and stuff." Beast boy called back.

I groaned and pulled the dress over my head.

"Besides, it's about time you and Nightwing spoke to one another." Superboy added.

I opened the door and poked my head out.

"He kept my own secrets from me. How is that even possible?"

"He was protecting you, Leila. The Cane dude is pure insanity." Beast Boy shivered at the memory of the man.

I rolled my eyes and closed the door back.

I straightened out the dress against my body. The dress was beautiful. M'gann had done a wonderful job. It was a long, black, lacy dress with a dip in the front and a long split in the front. I pushed my hair back and grabbed the matching mask. I dapped some red lipstick on my lips and I was ready to go.

When I stepped out, Beast Boy gasped in admiration from the bed he and Superboy were sitting on.

"Wow." Superboy complimented.

"No jokes tonight, gentlemen?" I asked smiling.

"No complaints here." Beast Boy gulped.

The doors to my room slid open and M'gann walked in. When she saw me she couldn't help but smile.

"I knew it was your perfect size. And the black will accent Nightwing's royal blue button down shirt."

I smiled and nodded.

"Thanks M'gann."

This was the first time we had had a simple, friendly conversation. We usually stuck to avoiding one another.

She smiled faintly, glanced at Superboy and left. Superboy watched her walk out and stared at the door after it closed behind her.

"Jeez, go ahead and proclaim your love." Beast Boy teased.

Superboy glared at him and knocked him off the bed.

I laughed and picked up my dress to walked towards them.

"She doesn't like me anymore." Superboy admitted grudgingly.

"That's cause she thinks you and Leila got something going on." Beast Boy said easily.

Superboy and I choked on our own surprise.

"_What_?" We both urged.

Beast Boy shrugged.

"I told her she was crazy. That Leila was _my _woman… But she doesn't believe it. Especially since we walked in on you two giving big hugs earlier."

"But I don't like Superboy! I like-…" I stopped myself just in time.

Beast Boy and Superboy jerked their heads towards me.

"I like no one." I let out.

"Ouch" Beast Boy mumbled.

Superboy ignored his comment.

"She could ask." He grumbled.

"Or she could ignore it and keep dating swamp boy." Beast Boy chimed in. I sighed and walked towards the door.

"I can't take this. I gotta go." I called leaving the room.

When I made it downstairs, Nightwing was all dressed up, mask on face, speaking with Batman. He glanced in my direction and it was as if Batman was no longer speaking. Batman followed his eyes and turned to me.

"You ready?" Batman stated, looking me over.

"As ready as ever." I mumbled picking up my dress and walking ahead of them.

Batman began to brief us as we walked to the basement garage.

"Make sure you distract Asmiov long enough to get to whatever is underneath his basement. He loves woman, so, Leila, use that to your advantage."

"Oh sure… I'll just give him a couple winks and we're in and out in 3 seconds." I hissed sarcastically.

When we reached the car, I noticed Batman didn't say anything else.

"Is there a problem, Leila?" Batman asked though his tone was not really caring.

I looked straight into his eyes.

"You're keeping things from me. _That's_ my problem."

"No need to do this now, Leila." Nightwing coaxed, grabbed my arm.

"Why not? He has us doing the dirty work but won't tell me everything he knows?"

"In case you have forgotten, we are in this mess to help you. Whatever I am not telling you now is for your own good. So either you take what I'm giving you now and stay in the loop. Or have a fit in your room… alone." Batman said hastily.

I felt my fingertips twitch. I knew that all I had to do was snap my fingers and he would be squashed like a bug. But somehow, Batman knew as well as I did that there wasn't a chance in hell I would attempt that.

I backed away from him and allowed Nightwing to place me in the passenger's seat of the silver 2012 Viper. He quickly walked around to the other side and climbed in. Without another minute passing, he started the car and zoomed through the slowly rising garage door. There was silence for the first 10 minutes of the drive. Finally, Nightwing spoke.

"That wasn't necessary."

"Says the guy that _knows_ his past." I mumbled.

"Look, we all know that you're clueless about your past! And I wanna help you more than anyone. But yelling and throwing fits won't get you anywhere-…"

"You all are keeping things from me! What if I had obeyed you and stayed at Mount Justice! You would have kept that night a secret from me-…"

"No... I would've been dead."

Nightwing's proclamation startled me into silence. The word_ dead_ was ringing in my ear. I could barely image him injured… _dead_ wasn't an option for me.

"I'm glad you're not." I whispered, knowing I sounded more vulnerable than ever before.

Nightwing didn't speak for a moment. And I was fine with that.

"You will know everything in time, Leila. Batman doesn't even tell me anything. But anything we keep from you is for your protection."

I didn't have anything to say to that, so I put on my mask and shut my mouth the rest of the ride.

When we arrived at Asimov's deluxe mansion, both Nightwing and I were surprised about the turn out. It felt like nearly half the city had been invited. Nightwing stepped out and walked around to help me out. He then gave the keys to the valet and walked to the front door.

While we were walking I noticed the people giving a rather large man dressed in a tux a card.

"It's invitation only!" I hissed.

"Don't worry." Nightwing patted my hand and wrapped it around his own.

We reached the man and Nightwing pulled out a card from his jacket. I watched the man to see if Nightwing's card was legit or not. The man looked it over, nodded, and let us pass.

As we walked in, I couldn't help but admire Nightwing's calm sense.

"Ok, your name is Lisa and I'm your fiancée Jack. My father is a board member of Wayne Enterprises. Got it?" Nightwing whispered seductively in my ear.

I couldn't help but swoon a bit, though I knew this was all an act. But the feeling of being intimate with Nightwing made my heart speed faster. So I played a little harder.

I wrapped my hand around the base of his neck and brought his ear to my lips.

"Got it." I whispered back. I then released him.

The party went smoothly for the first hour. Nightwing and I made small conversations with many people. Some women found him quite charming while I tried not to swallow too much champagne.

While I sat at the bar making small conversation with the bartender, Nightwing came from behind me. He touched the small of my back and sat next to me. He then looked up at the bartender and flashed the perfect smile.

"I hope she's not too much for you." He chuckled effortlessly. The bartender smiled back and walked away to help another customer.

Suddenly, Nightwing when from the happy go lucky fake, to the serious and mysterious guy I knew.

"I see Asimov. Flirting with the twin girls to your left by the punch."

I took a sip of my champagne and casually glanced over to see a rather large, middle aged man flirting with two, identical blondes. I was immediately disgusted. Asimov had a long, gray beard to match his long gray hair. His stomach was fairly well over his pants and he had a second chin.

"Charming." I mumbled setting my glass down.

"I brought these," Nightwing opened his hand and two ear pieces were in the center, "You go make sure he's distracted and give me the ok. I've found where the entrance is."

"Where?" I asked looking around the room.

"The only place in the room where there are two guards but no guests." Nightwing led his eyes to the back right corner were the exit into the garden was.

I looked back at Asimov and groaned.

"He's seems perfectly content with those girls."

"That's because he hasn't seen you yet." Nightwing gave me a half smile, which was the equivalent to a full one to me.

I gave him the same smile in return.

"Get him out of the way, ok? Then meet me downstairs." Nightwing grabbed my hand and kissed it for show and then weaved into the crowd. I then noticed that while grabbing my hand, he left the ear piece in it.

I looked back at Asimov, took a gulp of my champagne, plugged the piece into my ear, and began to weave myself through the crowd also.

I made sure to keep my eyes on Asimov as I walked towards him. He finally made eye contact with me and stared until I was almost close enough to touch. Then, I made a quick turn and went towards the punch.

That's all the Asimov needed, he ditched the two bimbos and followed me to the punch bowl. I ignored his presence and started to make myself a glass.

"I've been watching you all night." The hefty millionaire cracked in my ear. I smirked and glanced at the back right corner where Nightwing was just to make sure he was ok.

"How could you when you were… occupied by those other… ladies." I turned to him and took a sip of my drink, never taking my eyes off him.

"You must use the term, _ladies_ very loosely with those girls." He chuckled and grabbed my drink from my hands, "But you seem like a very good lady to me."

I looked back at the corner and there were no guards and Nightwing was gone. So far no one has come up to alert Asimov, which means Nightwing knocked the guards out and made it through. I smiled to myself, my feelings of seductiveness rose immediately.

I leaned over and whispered into his ear.

"Only when you don't give me enough liquid courage."

Asimov laughed so that his belly jiggled.

"How about I give you a tour, beautiful. I'll be sure to bring the champagne."

"_Leila. I'm in._" Nightwing's voice rang through my ears.

I smirked at Asimov.

"I would love that."

Leila's Dress:

[IMG] . [/IMG]

image/sexy% ?o=37

.

Leila's Mask:

[IMG] albums/ff317/ILoveWinter07/41588944_ [/IMG]

image/masquerade%20mask/ILoveWinter07/41588944_ ?o=105

albums/ff317/ILoveWinter07/41588944_


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:**

_****Part 7! Yay! Continue to comment! I love to read them, really! I've gotten so much positive feedback that I just can't help but smile! Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!_

_MeechieNikole_

"…And this is one of my most prized possessions, the Russian egg. Each little sapphire and diamond surrounds a solid gold egg. Given to my mother from my father when I was a boy. It's worth 2 million dollars."

Though Asimov thought that money interested me, the only thing I as interested in was listening closely to my left ear for any information Nightwing could give me. So far, during my distracting tour, Asimov had shown me golden hallways and marvelous artifacts. But I knew what he was getting to even though he begged to be discreet. And as we entered his large, zealous bedroom, I felt my body tense. Asimov easily slid past me and walked further into the room.

"Hope you're almost done there!" I hissed into my ear.

There wasn't a response. I honestly didn't know how much longer I could keep up with this façade but I was gonna hold out.

Asimov turned with a bottle of champagne in his hand. A chasseur cat-like smirk rose on his face as he twirled a fragile glass in his empty hand.

"Now what was it you said about liquid courage?" He asked, his massive body dragged closer towards me.

I smiled and kicked my right foot up in the air, knocking the glass out of Asimov's hand. As it tumbled in the air, I raised my hand and grabbed it.

"Be careful, sweetie. You may not know what you're getting into." I smiled and rubbed my lips against the glass.

_Come on, Nightwing._

Asimov's momentary gaze of shock immediately flickered to pure lust.

"Let's cut the charades, that dress would look better at your ankles." He growled sexually.

I caught myself from barfing. And when he tried to hurry over in my direction, I easily stepped to the side.

_Nightwing!_

"No time to play, love. I've got guests outside so I can only take 10 minutes tops."

I was a little offended.

"Ten minutes, why Asimov, what kinda girl do you think I am?" I asked as I realized I was up against a wall.

"Let's find out." He murmered, getting too close for comfort.

_"I'm in."_ Nightwing's rugged voice filled my ears.

"Thank God." I said aloud.

Asimov glanced at my eyes, quite confused. I easily grabbed the space between his neck and shoulders with my middle finger and thumb. I squeezed that area lightly and Asimov immediately fell to the ground, knocked out. As he fell, his jacket opened up and a golden key was peaking out of his inside pocket.

I bent down and retrieved it, silently thanking Phil for teaching me about pressure points on the human body. I dropped the key into my bra and fixed my clothing.

I slipped out of the room and closed the door behind me. I quietly moved back to where the party was. As soon as I made my way back into the unsuspecting crowd, a hand grabbed my arm. I turned around to see one of Asimov's bodyguards glaring at me accusingly.

"Where's Asimov?" He growled lowly so that only I could hear.

I coolly smiled and winked.

"He's a little…worn out." I whispered seductively into his ear. The bodyguard released my arm.

"He should be out soon. Excuse me while I get some fresh air." I winked at him and made my way past the crowd. My eyes were set on the now guard-less corner entrance to the garden.

I turned my head slightly and make sure the bodyguard that caught me was gone. When the coast was clear, I slipped out of the party and into an extravagant garden. I looked to my right and on the ground, knocked out, were the two guards that had secured the area. Nightwing had really messed them up. They were basically sleeping. I smirked and smoothly stepped over them.

"Ok, I'm in the garden." I hissed into the earpiece.

_"Make a left at the cupid statue. There will a black tiled door. Go through there and go down the stairs."_ Nightwing instructed.

I looked up and there, in a sparkling fountain, was a golden cupid glinting in the moonlight. I walked up to it and was immediately covered by thorn bushes. I looked to my left and by a white rose bush, almost invisible in the night air, was a the black tiled door.

"How did you find this?" I hissed as I walked up to the door. Nightwing did not answer.

I looked over my shoulder to check for anyone watching. When I felt sure that the coast was clear, I pushed open the door and walked into the darkness. The door closed behind me and the slam echoed through the darkness. I had a queasy feeling in my stomach. This place reminded me of my first training practice in the arena. I took one, scarily step forward and suddenly automatic lights illuminated to show me that I was one more step from tripping down a flight of stairs.

I quietly walked down the steps. When I finally made it to the final step, I realized I had come to a fork in the road. I whispered Nightwing's name but no one answered. My senses began to come alive in the silence.

"Nightwing" I whispered into the earpiece.

Suddenly, a pair of hands slipped over my mouth. I tried to scream but the hands were tightly gripped.

"Shhhh." A voice cooed in my ear.

I knew Nightwing's voice even without words. My shoulders relaxed and my breathing slowed. When Nightwing felt I was calm enough, he released me. I turned to him.

"Might wanna let me in on the 'no talking on ear-piece' thing. Jeez."

Nightwing ignored my comment.

"We've got a problem." He grumbled.

I sighed. As if being in some Russian mafia man's secret lair wasn't problem enough.

Nightwing led me to the left. As we walked further, the lights in the hall darkened again. We finally reached a system panel that was behind secured bars.

"Who puts their machine's in jail?" I asked annoyed that this wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.

"Asimov is definitely keeping something from us." Nightwing said.

I glanced at the lock that kept us from the panel. Annoyance and fear filled me. What if we didn't get the info? What would happen next?

"It couldn't just be a secret code we could hack into! Or some lasers that we could slide through. It has to be a key. A simple, normal, everyday key…. Wait…WAIT!" I shouted happily.

Nightwing eyes turned wild with frustration for my loud voice. I covered my mouth to calm my excitement. Then, when I was finally calm, I lowered my hand.

"I've got the key!" I hissed.

"You…. WHAT?" Nightwing shouted. I giggled and covered his mouth with my hands. While covering them, I began to explain.

"When I knocked Asimov out, he fell to the ground and a shiny key came out. I didn't think anything of it really. I just picked it up."

After my explanation, I lowered my hands from his lips to reveal a very impressed smirk on his face.

"You're brilliant." He complimented.

"It's a gift." I reached into my bra and pulled out the key. I then put it in the lock and turned. The locked clicked magnificently and the barred door opened. In front of us was a large control panel with a wide, computer screen.

Nightwing and I quickly stepped in. Immediately, we spotted a bundle of usb drives next to an empty can of coke. Nightwing grabbed the first one and plugged it into the computer.

Instantly, a picture of Asimov on the beach appeared. Nightwing clicked through all the pictures.

"This isn't it." I declared.

Nightwing unplugged it and went on to the next one. It was videos of Asimov's vacation to Italy.

Nightwing unplugged it and went on to the next one. It was pictures of Peruvian models.

Every usb port was meaningless and annoying. Nightwing went through every picture but there was nothing.

"I can't believe this." Nightwing groaned, running his fingers through his hair.

"This can't be right… Why would Asimov lock up photos of him on the beach?" I asked Nightwing and myself.

Nightwing decided to click through photos again but look more carefully. I stood back and watched him, wondering what was it that Nightwing and I were missing… Then my eyes landed on the empty coke can. All at once, my brain started to connect the dots.

"You know one thing I learned about Asimov while getting a tour of his house?" I asked Nightwing, keeping my eyes on the can.

"What?" Nightwing's voice was somewhat hopeless and annoyed.

"Besides the fact that he's a total pervert…. He has a _really_ clean house. I mean spotless. Not even a spec. I don't even know if I could live in a place this clean-…"

"What's the point, Leila?" Nightwing growled, jerking his body towards me. My eyes did not move from the coke can.

"The point _is_, Nightwing. I bet Asimov has OCD or something. I _bet_ that he would murder one of his bodyguards if they left anything unattended or misplaced."

"Soooo…" Nightwing said exasperated.

"_Sooooo_ out of every place in this big old mansion. That coke can is the only trash that can be found. And on a machine at that."

Nightwing looked at the can for the first time. Then he looked back at me.

"You don't think…" He began.

I walked up to the panel and grabbed the can. I looked closely at the opening and bent back the tab. I then showed it to Nightwing.

"No stains or residue. The inside is wiped clean."

I then shook the can and felt a rattle. I felt the top of it, then the middle, then the bottom. I then realized that the bottom was loose. I grabbed a hold on it and turned it counterclockwise. After a few turns, the lid slid off and gripped to the bottom was a silver usb drive.

I looked up at Nightwing in victory.

"You're amazing." Nightwing smiled.

I had never seen him smile before. But the happiness didn't last long. One after one, the darkened lights re-illuminated.

Someone was coming.

I looked at Nightwing in horror. He silently pointed up to the vent. He had been prepared for this. I grabbed the usb drive, climbed on his shoulders, opened the vent, climbed up, and jumped in. I leaned over the edge to grab Nightwing. But he was busy putting everything back the way it was. He finally closed the barred door, taking the key, and jumped up to grab my hand. When I had a good grip on him, I pulled him up with all the strength I had. He closed the vent just as footsteps were right under us. Because there was little room, Nightwing was on top of me and we remained still as the figure shook the barred door.

"It's secure." A man said.

I stared into Nightwing's eyes and the footsteps disappeared. Slowly, each light darkened once again.

Finally, Nightwing and I could breath. He crawled off of me and leaned against the wall.

"Boy do I have a thing for vents." I breathed happily.

Nightwing genuinely laughed.

"Oh darling!" I laughed loudly as we easily weaved through the crowd. Nightwing held on tight to my waist. Out the corner of my eye, I saw Asimov. He was talking to the blonde's as if nothing had happened.

"Temporary memory loss." I whispered to Nightwing the side effect of my pressure point trick. I excused myself from his grasp and strolled over to Asimov. He took one look at me and a hint of memory washed onto his face. I winked and grabbed his jacket.

"You were wonderful, tonight, darling." I proclaimed, I grazed my hand on the inside of his shirt, slipping the golden key to its rightful place, "But alas, I am engaged. So let's keep this our little secret." I stepped away and waved goodbye leaving Asimov's ego bigger than it had ever been. I went back to Nightwing's hold.

"It's done." I whispered in his ear.

He smiled triumphantly as we walked out of the party. We reached the valet and he brought our car around.

Nightwing opened the door for me and I slipped in. As soon as he was in the driver's seat, he sped off.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"So this it what it feels like to have an accomplished mission?" I laughed.

Nightwing's grip on the steering wheel was tight but he smiled.

"You were amazing, Leila." He glanced over at me.

I smiled and stared out the window. Though a lot had gone wrong so far, tonight was just about perfect.

When we reached Mount Justice, everyone was waiting for us; eager to hear news.

As Nightwing and I strolled in with Batman, we were bombarded with question. I saw Superboy and Beast Boy in the background; Beast Boy was waving frantically and Superboy had his arms crossed with a satisfied smirk on his face. I made my way towards them.

"How did it go?" Beast Boy asked eagerly.

I couldn't help but reflect my pure excitement.

"It was awesome! I'm going on every mission from now on." I laughed.

"Slow down kiddo. What did you find?" Superboy asked.

"I was wondering the same thing." Batman's voice boomed over me. I turned to see him and Nightwing behind me. I took off my mask and took the usb drive out of my bra.

"One secret usb drive." I announced, placing it in his hand. Batman eyed the evidence and looked over at Nightwing.

"Did you look at it?" He asked.

Nightwing shook his head.

"We didn't have time. Asimov's guards were on our tail. But Leila was an amazing asset to-…"

"Let's figure out what this is." Batman turned and walked towards the main computer in the center of the room.

Nightwing stared after Batman, annoyance clear on his face. He looked back at me and I gave him a reassuring smile in return. We all then followed Batman to the computer.

Batman slowly put the drive in the usb port. Abruptly, data appeared. But this data didn't make any sense.

"It's a bunch of scribble!" Beast boy exclaimed exasperated.

Mal Duncan, an expert at computers stepped forward.

"It's a bunch of symbols… meaningless…"

Batman glared at the screen, as did Nightwing.

"I just don't get it. It has to mean something! Asimov had it hidden!"

I took a step forward and looked closely at the screen. Yes, these symbols were basically meaningless, but I felt a sense of familiarity rush through me. My heart pounded as my eyes chased every line, searching for some sort of clue. But these symbols weren't making any sense…

Then it hit me.

It hit me like a ton of bricks. It hit so hard that I had to gasp from the mental and emotional impact.

Everyone's eyes left the screen and were now on me. But my eyes were staring at the screen with a mixed emotion of realization and horror.

"I've seen those symbols before! Those are the same symbols that were on the usb drive I held on to when I found myself at Phil's door. Those symbols are the last memory I have…"


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note**_  
_

_Hey guys! So I'm having a contest kinda and you are all a part of it! I want to find Leila a GOOD superhero name but I'm having trouble. So YOU guys can give me ideas! Give me names that you think would be good for Leila and I'll pick the best one! Also, I added Leila's true powers into this story so it won't be a mystery anymore. You all will be able to tell what other AMAZING show I got the idea of her powers from! I hope you all enjoy it! _

_MeechieNikole_

_I'm an alien._

Or at least that's what I've convinced myself. How else could anyone explain the symbols that constantly haunted my life?

The only question now was what kind of alien am I?

"You're overreacting." Superboy insisted.

I ignored his statement and stared at the dirt inside my nails.

We were in a corner of the Central Control room while Batman got in contact with Phil to bring the original flash drive over.

"It's the only legit conclusion we have. I mean… what could possibly be worse?" I asked.

Superboy shrugged.

"Being a clone of an alien."

I looked up at Superboy who had a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Point taken." I noted.

Nightwing made his way to the corner and sat next to me.

"Phil's on his way." Nightwing said softly.

I can only remember him speaking to me like that once. I felt as if he were talking to a delicate flower. I looked up at him and smiled confidently.

"Good! Then we can get this over with."

Nightwing could see right through my act. But he nodded and glanced at Superboy.

"Not sleepy yet?" Nightwing asked, but there was something else in his voice than just an honest question.

Superboy eyed him and stood.

"Actually no." And he simply walked away.

Nightwing sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"What was that about?" I asked curiously.

Nightwing looked up at Superboy and back at me. He then shrugged.

"I don't know. High tensions maybe."

I ignored the random, short-lived tension between Superboy and Nightwing and focused on my current dilemma.

"What could those symbols mean? And why am I connected to them?" I asked.

"That's what we're going to find out." Nightwing grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

I looked up at him and once against got caught in the magnificent glint of his blue eyes.

"How do you do it? Everyday you're a superhero. Everyday you deal with issues in such calm strides."

Nightwing snorted.

"Lots of practice. Besides, I'll always be _his_ sidekick. People just can't separate me from him." Nightwing gazed over at Batman who was now in deep conversation with Superboy and Mal.

"I can." I said softly.

Nightwing's eyes cut to mine and for I moment, he held his chest in as if he had forgotten how to breathe.

Abruptly, the computer announced Phil's arrival as he was transported in. When I saw Phil's body, I instantly stood and walked over to him. The moment he saw me, he opened his arms and embraced me.

"What is going on?" I asked into his ear.

Phil released me and shook his head.

"I don't know but we're gonna figure this out kiddo." He then held up the missing flash drive.

I nodded and stepped back. I could feel Nightwing's presence behind me. Phil immediately went to Batman next. They exchanged a few words and Phil pushed the drive in the empty port. Now both drives were in the computer. Everyone in the room held their breaths. I could feel my hands ball into fists.

Suddenly the ground began to shake. Everyone gasped in horror but Batman and Phil both glared at me. Nightwing grabbed a hold of on of my fists and the shaking instantly stopped. Finally I realized that the cause of the minor earth quake was me.

"Oh…. Sorry." I mumbled.

Nightwing squeezed my hand and Batman and Phil turned back to their work.

Phil clicked on the new drive and the same symbols popped up.

"Doesn't look like any alien language I've ever seen." M'gann noted.

I felt my chest deflate with relief.

"No… not an alien language. The symbols seem familiar though… somewhat." Batman glared at the screen.

"Put the other drive on the screen." Phil ordered.

Batman clicked the other drive and now both of them appeared on the screen. Everyone stared at the information in silence. I held my breath because my breathing was so loud.

"I don't understand it… there's no pattern… no hidden message…" Phil thought out loud.

"Or maybe there is." Nightwing added. I looked up at him in curiosity.

Nightwing released my fist to my disapproval and stepped up to the screen.

"Drag that drive to overlap the other." Nightwing order.

Batman did as he was told. He dragged the layout of the first drive onto the layout of the second.

Suddenly, both layouts disappeared. In their place was one large layout. But it didn't hold the symbols that the other two once held.

"Forumlas…" Batman said loudly.

"Chemical formulas." Phil added.

Everyone looked at me….

_Oh great. I'm not an alien… I'm a science project._

I think Superboy relished in the fact that I had more in common than we both thought. But because I was in such a state of shock, he did his best to comfort me.

It was 2:00 a.m. and we were still whispering in the silence that surrounded us.

Beast Boy was with us, but he had drifted off to sleep about an hour ago. And yes, he was sprawled out on my bed while I sat curled on the floor with Superboy, but I didn't mind his presence. In fact, I begged for it.

The truth was, I regretted forcing my past to slap me in the face. With my foggy memory, I could have easily made up my own past. But it was me that had had the nerve to challenge all the demons before me to make themselves known.

And now I was scared. I was scared of Cane and I was scared of my true identity.

As I realized what kind of danger I could be, I looked up at Superboy.

"I'm not a bad person. I don't know about a lot of things. But I can _feel_ it. I'm not bad." I prayed into the air.

The dimness of the lamp that solely lit my bedroom didn't mask his intense stare. The shadows just intensified his stare.

"Who are you trying to convince?" He asked softly.

I shook my head and put my face in my hands. In less than a second, Superboy was next to me. He took my torso and hugged me close to him. I sobbed into his shoulder.

"I know you're not bad, Leila. You don't have to convince me." He murmured in my ear.

Though his words soothed me like a lullaby, I still could not find the strength to stop crying. So I cried and cried until I fell asleep in his arms.

I don't know what woke me up because the whole room was silent. But I found myself in a very compromising position on Superboy's chest. He was fast asleep. The stress lines that I had known him to wear were smoothed out. I smiled at how young he looked.

But something kept me uneasy. I finally noticed the sudden chill in the room. I instantly looked to the door and there was Nightwing, leaning against the doorframe like he had done so many times. But this time, his body was much more tense, his arms were crossed accusingly, and his eyes seemed like a fiery blue. But his eyes weren't focused on me; they were focused on Superboy's boy-like face.

Finally his eyes darted to me. When our eyes met, I could feel every part of my body go numb. His eyes…they were full of accusation, anger, and… something else…

I forced myself up to my knees and away from Superboy's warm body. I opened my mouth to speak… to give some sort of explanation. But the gaze he was giving me muted every sentence that was screaming in my head. Instead, I just quickly shook my head. He raised himself from my doorframe and took two steps forward. Still, he was miles away to me at this moment.

"I came to check on you," He stated calmly, "But you seem ok. Training is cancelled for today." He then turned to leave.

"Why?" I called after him quickly.

_Why?_

Of all the things I could say to him at this moment in time and I ask '_Why?_'.

Nightwing looked at me over his shoulders, his face asked me the same question.

"I figure we both need some time alone today." He said softly. I felt my body weaken as he left the room and the door slide shut swiftly after him.

Superboy stirred and looked up at me.

"What's going on?" Superboy asked sitting up.

I did not speak. My eyes stayed glued to the door that had separated me from the one thing I wanted so badly.

Beast Boy's snorted himself awake and looked at both of us.

"What did I miss?" He asked.

I shook my head, my eyes not leaving the doors. I knew that I would be crying right at this moment if my tears hadn't been spent on Superboy's shoulder. With no tears left, I stood and went to my bathroom.

Nightwing said that we needed time alone, after all.

If anyone were to ask me how my week had been, I would probably burst into flames at that very moment. In one week, I had found the evil man that had a huge chunk of my past in the palm of his hand, realized that I was either an alien or a science project, and possibly hurt the one person who meant so much to me.

The last part was like a slow, reeling realization. I spent that whole day figuring out my feelings for Nightwing and trying to decipher whether I had drastically changed our love/hate relationship for the worse. But then, I realized something that I had overlooked the million times his face had run through my head.

His glare at Superboy…

It was a glare of betrayal. I had seen it so many times. Thus, I didn't need to decipher whether any of Nightwing's feelings were mutual. He had shown how had he felt when he stood at my door for who knows how long.

The only thing I could do now was to attempt to save whatever we had.

And that was my mission today during training. To talk to him and figure out what I am to him. To tell him how I feel!

As I sat on the floor stretching for our training session today, I thought about all the things I would have to say.

But as he walked in, wrapping his knuckles with tape, my thoughts disappeared. I just stared at him though he looked everywhere but in my eyes. I watched him go to the other side of the room and put on some type of gloves. I finally noticed his different attire. It was all black and he wore big black boots. He looked good, but different. He sat directly two steps from me and finally looked up at me.

The glare that had struck me cold before was gone. Instead, it was replaced with a calm, stone façade.

"Today, we're gonna try something different." He stated.

I was so overjoyed to hear his voice; I just nodded, begging for more.

He sighed and looked down at his outfit. As he looked down, I could've sworn a smile appeared on his face.

"Why are you dressed like that?" I asked softly.

Nightwing looked up, almost as shocked by the sound of my voice as I had been of his. Then, finally, the smile reappeared on his face.

"It's fire retardant."

Then I noticed his smile wasn't the same, it was a mischievous smirk. But it also made him much more attractive. I couldn't help but smile also.

"Fire?"

He nodded.

"You're a Bender, Leila. Not like any I've seen before either. Though earth and air bending is where you shine, you showed some fire bending during the ash incident with Eccessra. It's about time we brought that out of you too. The more we know about you, the better."

Mesmerized that my issue had a name, I just nodded.

Nightwing stood and helped me to my feet.

"Now, do you remember anything about how you felt that day on the street?" Nightwing asked as he circled around me.

I thought long and hard and tried to put myself in that position once more.

"I was scared…" I recalled.

"Good. Now close your eyes. Think back to that day…"Nightwing ordered.

I closed my eyes and forced myself back to the place I had been right before I had met Nightwing.

_The crowd of people… the aching in my head from the hit of someone's knee… the desperation to find any member of the Justice League… The instant change of mood when I was in Eccessra's trance…_

"I felt calm." I murmured softly. I could feel Nightwing's presence surrounding me in circles.

"Ok, good." He urged.

_My fingertips heating drastically, the intense burning of my eyes…_

"My eyes… they were burning" I recalled.

"Yes, but before that feeling…. What brought that feeling on." Nightwing stressed.

"The trance."

"Being relaxed." Nightwing finished, "The trance relaxed you and your powers released, protecting you from Eccessra's harm, and harming her in the process."

I nodded furiously, knowing he was right.

"So relax, Leila."

I did as I was told. My muscles loosened and my body exhaled all tension.

"Now focus on your powers… focus on fire."

My body began to heat up as I thought solely about fire. But I knew that there was something else that triggered my fire bending that day. Anger.

I quickly began to think of things that angered me.

_Not knowing my past, the people that burst into ashes, hurting Nightwing, Asimov's pervert ways,… Cane…_

"Leila!" Nightwing shouted.

My eyes shot open and they met with Nightwing's. His were absolutely amazed.

"It's my eyes right?" I asked, knowing they were an amazingly bright gray color now.

Nightwing chuckled.

"I'm used to the eye color. It's _that_ I'm not used to." He pointed to my hands.

Curiously, I brought my hands up to examine them. Astonishingly, they were on fire. But they weren't burning. I looked up at Nightwing with horror and amazement.

"Throw one." He said stepping to the side and revealing a target. I looked at my hands, knowing exactly what he meant.

I fixed myself and threw my right hand forward, instantly a fireball was released and this time, the target was knocked completely off its hinges,burning in flames. I looked at my hands and fire and replaced the last one.

I looked fiercely at Nightwing, holding my hand up and out from my chest

"How do I turn it off?" I shouted.

Nightwing stepped up to me so that we were face to face. Suddenly he threw a wing-ding towards a pipe on the far side of the room. The pipe burst and water came spewing out, extinguishing the burning target but it was too far to extinguish the fire on my hands.

He then laced his hands with mine.

I gasped in horror.

"You figure it out. These gloves will only protect me for so long. Then you'll be burning off my skin."

I looked at the water and then at our hands intertwined. I saw the fire incasing Nightwing's gloved hands.

I closed my eyes trying to think of the opposite of anger which triggered the fire.

_Phil…Beast Boy's lame jokes…Superboy's protective personality… Nightwing's smile…_

I found myself smiling at the thought. The opposite of anger was happiness. And all those things made me happy. Yes… opposites.

"Leila…" Nightwing cooed.

Opposites. That's what control my powers; different feelings.

So if the opposite of anger is happiness and opposite of fire had to be…

My eyes shot open, finally realizing the new cool sensation pulsing through my fingertips. I looked at Nightwing's hands that were still intertwined with mine. But instead of fire ripping through his now torn gloves, they were wet. And small droplets circled our hands swiftly.

I looked quickly at Nightwing, his face bright and shining. He nodded up above us and, circling around us, was the water that once dripped from the pipe. I couldn't help but laugh with relief. Nightwing chuckled also. We both leaned in and he rested his forehead on mine.

"I knew you could do it." He whispered.

I breathed heavily and smiled. He leaned in further and his lips softly touched mine. My focus was no longer on fire or water. I was focused on how someone's lips could be so soft, so amazing as Nightwing's were.

Suddenly, our intimate moment ended as the water that I had held up so perfectly fell on our heads. Our lips released as we laughed at our drenched bodies. Then I looked at Nightwing intensely.

"Thanks."

We both knew that it had more than one meaning.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's** **Note:**

_I know what you guys are thinking... FINALLY lol Well school is about to start and little ol' me is stretched kinda thin. But I've always got time for Young Justice. I haven't yet decided on a name for Leila's super alter ego but when I do, you all will be the first to know. Enjoy my loves!_

I had just about memorized the feel of his lips. And I would brush my fingers across mine just to reminisce the absolute chills that trinkled down my spine. It wasn't a passionate kiss like in the movies I used to force Uncle Phil to watch. It was quite simple, quite nice, and quite life changing.

Usually, once the man and woman kiss, the man will announce his undying love for the woman and they will live happily ever after. Well, Nightwing was no ordinary man. After we cleaned up the water and threw away the ashen target, he slipped away from me silently. And I was left to contemplate what that kiss had meant if it meant anything at all. Or… if it really happened…

It did happen, didn't it?

I mean I could still feel the soft pressure of his lips against mine. I could still smell the scent of vanilla the gracefully filled my nose. I could-

"Leila!" Beast Boy screeched above my thoughts.

"Ugh!" I growled pushing him away from my sensitive ears.

Beast Boy hopped out of the way and stared at my face. I looked at him and made a silly face in return.

We were in the common room, relaxing while Superboy left with Nightwing and Miss Martian on a mission. This time, it did not involve me.

I glanced at the T.V. screen to see what we were watching.

"Jeez you drifted off again! You missed the cops beating the crap out of that criminal guy. Finally cops are useful." Beast Boy smirked and hopped back in his spot next to me on the couch.

"I'm just worried. They've been gone all morning." I said side glancing at the door.

"Sometimes they could be gone all day." Beast Boy shrugged.

I eyed him curiously.

"Don't you ever worry about them getting hurt… or worse…?" I gulped.

Beast Boy's eyes stayed on the T.V. but his mouth was set to a frown.

"I try not to think about it. If I did it would drive me to insanity."

I knew Beast Boy was right, but I was not yet used to the idea of the only people I knew putting themselves right in the face of danger. But I had to realize that Nightwing, Superboy, and even Miss Martian and been doing this all their lives.

Suddenly the door to the common room opened and Superboy, Nightwing, and M'gann walked in.

I immediately turned with happiness when I suddenly noticed that something was wrong… Beast Boy's ears perked up to hear the ongoing fight between Superboy and Nightwing.

"I had 'em!" Superboy growled slamming his fist on the counter.

"If you 'had 'em' then I wouldn't have had come and save you!" Nightwing argued back.

Superboy laughed heatedly.

"Save me? You just got in my way! You're always doing extra! Like you're better than the rest of us!" Superboy gestured to everyone in the room.

I leaned back and shook my head, begging to stay out of it. Nightwing finally caught sight that I was in the room. He fumed and glared at Superboy.

"I do what it takes to keep us safe!"

Superboy snorted and turned to dismiss the subject. He then plopped on the couch next to me and meaninglessly put his arm around the part of the couch I was sitting on. I looked over at Nightwing and saw the same fiery eyes I had seen before.

"Nightwing?" M'gann asked touching his shoulder.

Nightwing snapped his shoulder away from her and dismissed himself from the room.

My feet immediately carried me out the room also.

"Nightwing!" I called running after him.

He did not slow his pace. Finally, I caught up with him.

"Nightwing, I-…"

"What?!" He snapped, jerking his body towards me.

I was taken back by his sudden burst of anger towards me. Once he saw my shocked face, his relaxed.

"I'm sorry." He said softly. But the meaning tinged my heart.

"For?" I asked curiously.

Nightwing shook his head and turned to leave. I reached from his arm but he quickly grabbed mine instead. He then turned and stood close to me. I smelt the vanilla scent all over again. It was making me dizzy with fond memories.

"Whatever happened…," He stopped, gazed at my lips and slowly brought his eyes back to mine, "It was nothing." He said roughly.

I choked on my shock and piercing hurt.

"Nothing." I repeated blankly. The word was not connecting with the images I remembered in the training room.

He looked up at me. For a moment, I saw a glint of regret in his eyes. He finally released my hand and continued to walk in the opposite direction.

Leaving me more alone than I can remember.

_Nothing_. What could one possibly do with that word? It rang in my ear like nails on a chalkboard. Every time I thought of that kiss, that beautiful kiss, it was now tainted with _that_ word. He didn't kiss me like it was nothing. And I certainly didn't kiss back like it was nothing.

Even during this easy mission, I found it hard to focus.

"Leila! Let's get this fire out and go home!" Superboy shouted, as he placed the last victim on the ground.

It was a normal apartment complex fire. Not even stressful. But Superboy had done most of the work. All I had to do was put out the fire.

Superboy kicked the fire hydrant open and the water spewed out.

I took a deep breath and calmed myself just as Nightwing had taught me. I exhaled and brought my hands up gracefully.

The wild water that was spraying everywhere suddenly stopped and waved around lightly. I separated my arms a bit more and all the water from the hydrant pulled out and hovered over everyone. The citizens looked up in amazement.

I slowly pulled my hands back and the water drifted towards me. I exhaled once more and pushed my hands away from me swiftly and the water sped towards the fire and extinguished it within seconds.

Once the fire was out, the audience clapped and expressed their gratitude. Superboy thanked them and I merely nodded and smiled.

"Nice job!" Superboy exclaimed jogging up to me.

"Thanks." I smiled lightly.

We made our way to the secret alley where a portal to Mount Justice was hidden. In the dark corner to the right was a small 'broken' telephone booth. Superboy and I walked side by side towards the booth, while making sure that we were not followed.

"Ya know, I may be just some boy clone. But I definitely know when something's wrong with one of my best friends." He stated.

"I'm fine." I said looking at my feet.

"You sure? Cause you've definitely been somewhere else for the last couple of days."

I looked up at Superboy and smiled.

"I'll get there,"

We squeezed into the booth together and I pressed the secret code on the payphone. A familiar sensation came over me and we a transported back to Mount Justice.

But as soon as we entered the control room, I could sense something was wrong. Nightwing was standing in front of the big monitor with Phil. Both of their faces were stoned and their voice very soft but urgent.

I knew that whatever it was, it concerned me.

Without much thought, I pushed my arm against Superboy's chest sending him to a halt. Without another look, I walked straight to Nightwing and Phil, pushing all my useless feelings aside and focusing on what was at hand.

Nightwing glanced over at me and then looked at Phil. Phil sighed and touched a few keys on the computer. He then turned back to me. Within seconds, an unfamiliar red headed man with bright green eyes appeared on the screen.

I looked at the picture and then looked from Nightwing to Phil, waiting for an explanation. Phil began to speak.

"This is Herman Shields, he was kidnapped two days ago form his apartment in downtown Gotham. His girlfriend who lived with him told officers that it was a goon along with a rich man with a long scar on the left side of his face-…"

"Cane." I mumbled.

Now Nightwing spoke.

"Cane's only passion is to find you. Which means that this man has something to do with you. Do you remember him?"

I walked closer to the monitor and stared at it intently. No memory of this man was anywhere in my brain. I closed my eyes and took a couple of breaths.

"I-I don't remember him." I whispered.

Superboy stepped forward.

"Maybe you're not supposed to remember him like that. Maybe… He was a child when you met… or something." He offered.

I turned to Superboy and noticed Nightwing's stare that Superboy completely ignored. I sighed and turned back to the screen.

Everything about this man screamed mature. He looked about 3 or 4 years older than me with brown stubble. I moved my glaze to his eyes. An immediate pain of emptiness tinged my stomach.

"I remember him." I stated moving away from the screen and turning my head.

"Where?" Phil urged.

I turned my body towards the men and told my tale with my head down.

_ He was the first friend I'd ever made, though he was older. Uncle Phil, after months of therapy and treatment, decided that I should be placed in middle school. It was my first day in 6th grade and I was picked on by a lot of the girls because of my hair and clothes. But Herman came and protected me, which meant a lot because he was in 8th grade. I didn't realize how big of an impact he had at that school. He was so bright and charming; every girl seemed so envious of our growing relationship. But I only thought of him as a friend… a brother. One day, about mid year, I began to confess to him about my lack of past, or at least my lack of knowledge of my past, and a lot of the strange things I could do. And he confessed something to me… He wasn't normal either… He took me to his place after school. We went up to his room and he turned on the t.v with a snap of his fingers. He was electric. He could take away the light from a light bulb and put it back. After a while, he began being the source of neighborhood power outages. We became comfortable with one another. Though I didn't show much of my power because I could not control it. One day, his father walked in on him showing off his powers… The next thing I knew, he was moved to a boarding school for misbehaving minors. Uncle Phil and I lived there for a bit longer before moving. But I never saw Herman or heard from him again. It was like… he vanished._

After my story, I glanced up at Phil. He was staring at the picture on the screen with brand new eyes.

"Herman… The 'Missing' poster said his name was Huey…"

"I remember those eyes. They seemed electrified when he would show me tricks."

I felt so much guilt and sorrow for the friend I had forgotten. Though my childhood had kept me from doing much about his disappearance then, I felt a right to do it now. What has Herman gone through? What was he going through now? Then something else made my heart sink even lower. This time I looked at Nightwing.

"He's been following me!" I shrieked, "Cane has been following me my whole life!"

Suddenly my voice was lost in the absolute fear I felt for everyone… _anyone_ who'd I ever run into. They were all in danger.

_Phil._

I felt every muscle give in as my knees buckled. Without hesitation, Nightwing caught me in his arms.

"It's gonna be ok, Leila. We're gonna figure this out."

"We have to find Herman. I've got to find him." I said as my feet regained feeling.

"We will, Leila. I promise you."

And though he had been the source of my pain for the past couple of days. I found comfort in his words.


	10. Chapter 10

It's no surprise that Herman became my new obsession. He haunted my dreams and stained my reality. I was more focused on saving him than anything else. No matter what it took. He was the first friend I had ever made and I had forgotten him all those years ago. I owed him. It was my fault he was in the clutches of Cane.

I felt my fingers cramp as I threw yet another fire bending spell at the target. This time the target blew up into pieces. I exhaled frustration and paced back and forth. An image of Herman's bright-eyed innocent smile popped up in my head. It was quickly replaced by the sad, confused smile that he had on the picture his girlfriend has sent in.

I turned to another target and stomped on the ground. Rock popped up from the ground below the target, smashing it into pieces. I jerked in another direction, raised my hand, and a gust of wind blew it against the wall. I stopped for a moment to wipe the sweat from my brow. My breathing was heavy, but I still felt the need to crush something.

"We're ordering a lot more targets now than ever before." Nightwing's voice echoed in the empty training center.

"Unless you want to be my next target, I suggest you leave." I growled without looking at him.

He stayed silent for a long moment, then without warning he was in front of me. I looked up at him. His brow was scrunched in a concerned gaze. I looked away from him.

"I'm fine." I mumbled, closing my eyes.

"I'm sure you are…" He trailed off.

I glared back up at him.

"Then why are you here?"

"Just to be sure-…"

"Sure of what exactly? That I wasn't losing my mind due to the sudden chaos in my life? Or the fact that you are just as confused about your feelings as I am?"

Nightwing stepped back at my words. I looked down at the ground.

"What should I expect though? You're a superhero. That's you're life…. How can I possibly fall for you? I don't even know what you really look like."

Nightwing didn't speak, but his gaze spoke enough for me.

"I'm fine." I stated. I left him behind and went back to my room. But my room gave me no resolve.

I knew I was going crazy. How could I be worried about Nightwing when Herman could be in some torture chamber right about now? How could I be so… so shallow?

The fact that Cane had found someone so far from my past… someone I had even forgotten, scared me. But I knew that that's exactly what he wanted. He was sending me a message. Herman wasn't the first and he certainly wasn't going to be the last.

_My parents. Phil. Superboy. Beast Boy…_

"Nightwing." A small portion of my voice recalled.

A familiar fog blurred my view. Raged heat rushed through my veins and reached the tips of my fingers. I felt a piercing scream erupt through my throat. The ground beneath me began to shake roughly. I knew that I was about to cause destruction to Mount Justice and the city nearby, but nothing clicked. I couldn't stop it… I didn't want to stop it. I could feel the cracks of the floor rip beneath my feet. I clinched my fingers into tight balls and ground my teeth together. Every anger, every fear, ever frustration had reached its boiling point. But once again, the result was out of my control. Everything was out of my control. That realization on inflamed my power. I felt my body engulf with a fiery fierceness that I rarely felt. I closed my eyes and allowed the anger to overcome me.

Suddenly, strong arms grasped my wrists and pinned me to the wall. I screamed and jerked but they were too strong. The ground beneath me shook crazily as my thrashing only made me angrier.

"What's wrong with her?" I heard Superboy yell.

But no one responded.

Suddenly, through all noise and shaking, I heard brave but shaky words whisper in my ear.

"I'm sorry." Nightwing's voice rang. His hands grasped tightly on mine for stability against the failing ground.

It took seconds for his words to register. He wasn't just apologizing for our strained relationship, but for every misstep and mishap that had happened so far. I could feel the meaning in his whisper. His words were a cooling sensation that brought feeling back into my limbs. I opened my eyes and the fog slowly cleared. I looked to my bedroom door and Superboy was standing there, petrified with a frightened Beast Boy and concerned Phil behind him.

I felt warm tears run down my face as my heart beat slowed. The ground stopped shaking and my sobs began to get louder. I slid to the ground and Nightwing followed. He released my wrists and allowed me to sob into his chest. He cradled me while whispering in my ear,

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Nightwing ordered that I rest for the next few days. And that's exactly what I did. For the past 3 days I stayed nestled inside my blankets and kept my eyes closed for as long as I could. But when the nightmares of Herman became unbearable, I forced myself to wake up and stare at the walls, contemplating if Batman's words were right all that time ago.

_She's too weak_

I shut my eyes again to block myself from those words. I had been so hell-bent on proving myself. What was Batman thinking now? Though Nightwing had insisted that those words were all a part of the plan, I knew that Batman had some sort of truth in them.

I thrashed and turned to the other side of the room. I looked out the window and out into the bright afternoon. I heard the doors to my room open and shut. I closed my eyes and glared at the glass of water at my bedside. The water slowly rose from the glass and floated in the air.

"What do you want Nightwing?" I asked.

"Sorry to disappoint." Another, feminine voice erupted. The water splashed back into the cup and I sat up to see M'gann, Batgirl, and Cassie (Wonder Girl) standing by my bed.

They were the girl group that usually stuck together along with Karen (Bumblebee). I had never been invited to join them, which is why I became such good friends with Superboy and Beast Boy. They were the only ones to originally accept me. Thus, the shock of seeing these 3 girls in my bedroom ran through me.

"Ummmmmm…. Sooo… hey!" Cassie waved happily.

I just stared at them suspiciously. Cassie's smile wavered to a slight frown. M'gann decided it was time to speak up.

"We came to check on you." She allowed.

I looked at each girl, my gaze unwavering. Then, with a large exhale, I replied,

"I'm fine."

M'gann nodded.

"That's… err… good." She scratched her head.

I eyed them once again.

"What is it?" I egged on.

Cassie looked at Batgirl and then M'gann. She shrugged and stepped forward. But when she spoke, her words slurred in a fast pace dance.

"We came here to apologize for not being so welcoming. I mean you were new and we kinda already made a girl group and we were being really stupid about it. But you are pretty awesome and I think we'd get along pretty well. Especially with your powers, which are really cool. Maybe you could go on some of our missions and fire bend some losers or make bbq or something-…"

"Cassie! Stop!" Batgirl slowed the fast-mouthed Wonder Girl. I looked over at Batgirl. She saw my gaze had changed, stepped back, and pushed M'gann forward.

"Ow!" M'gann stated glaring at Batgirl. Batgirl shrugged with a teasing smile on her face.

M'gann turned her attention to me.

"Leila, you've been going through a lot and I don't think I've made it easier on you. You know, with my unwelcoming attitude. So… we would love it if you joined us on a mission or two-"

"Or all!" Cassie jumped in.

The sinking feeling that I'd felt for the past couple of days lifted. A wide grin spread across my face. For a while, I had given up and decided that Super and Beast Boy would be my only friends. But _this_… this was a new start… this was exciting… this… was exactly what I needed.

"Well… I _guess_ I could join you guys sometimes…" I smiled.

Cassie clapped happily.

"See M'gann? She's not a man stealing bitch!" Cassie clapped.

I looked at M'gann in horror. M'gann laughed it off and scratched her head.

"She's kidding!" she chuckled nervously.

I eyed M'gann but nodded.

"It's all good. But you weren't so bad. I mean, you did help me with that awesome dress." I put in.

M'gann smiled.

"Man, I would've loved to see Nightwing in a tux." Batgirl snorted.

I laughed and pushed back the covers.

"I haven't felt like getting dressed in days. Thanks guys." I smiled.

M'gann patted my shoulder.

"No problem. If you need anything let us know." She smiled.

All three of them turned to leave. The door shut closed behind them. I smiled with happiness and let my feet carry me to the shower. As I allowed the warm water to cleanse me skin, I felt an illuminating feeling rush over me. I felt empowered, like I could march myself right up to Cane, demand Herman back, and save the day all on my own. Maybe I hadn't realized my lack of female relationships lately. But I'd never had many female friends to begin with.

I dried off and put on some clothes. As I walked out of the bathroom, Superboy and Beast Boy were waiting for me with wide smiles on their faces.

"Someone's got new friends!" Beast Boy sang suddenly turning into a hummingbird.

I rolled my eyes and flicked him against the nearby wall. Superboy chuckled and leaned back on my bed.

"Happy M'gann has come to her senses." He smirked.

I eyed him and turned to Beast Boy who was in normal form on the ground.

"What did Super-brat do?" I asked Beast Boy.

Beast Boy opened his mouth to explain in vast detail but Superboy's overpowering voice interrupted him.

"Shut up, Beast Boy!" He warned.

Beast Boy snapped his mouth shut and sat against the wall obediently.

I growled and turned back to Superboy.

"What did you tell them, Connor?" I urged.

Superboy lazily put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes… on _my _bed. Angered, I glanced at the class of water I was going to used against Nightwing. I lifted my right hand and the water flowed out of the glass. I brought my hand to Superboy's direction and tightened it into a ball. The water immediately froze into an ice ball. I then allowed the ball to drop right on Superboy's head.

"Ouch!" Superboy growled sitting up.

But I remained planted with my arms crossed.

"What did you say?"

"Jeez! That you had a lot on your plate. And that they should stop being childish!" Superboy announced.

A huge smile broke out on my face.

"Oh Connor! You do care!" I teased jumping into his lap. Superboy couldn't help but chuckle. I felt even more weight as Beast Boy got in on the action.

"Totally loving this moment." Beast Boy sighed into my chest. I laughed and politely pushed him off. I then give Superboy a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks." I smiled.

Blood rose to his cheeks as he scratched his head.

"Yea… no problem."

Suddenly a loud cough… almost like an elephant, was heard. I looked over at Beast Boy who was impatiently waiting. I laughed and crawled over to him.

"And you are the bestest green friend a girl could ask for." I gave him a long kiss on the cheek.

Beast Boy gulped in return.

"_Friend _huh?" He asked.

I nodded and stood.

"Just for now sweet cheeks. I still got some moves up my sleeves." Beast Boy taunted.

I eyed him playfully and Superboy snorted, reclining back on my bed.

"_It has been 3 days since construction worker, Herman Shields, was kidnapped in the home he shares with his girlfriend, Penelope Grinwald. Officers have searched for days for any clues regarding Shields' disappearance but have come up short. The search party for Shields has grown to 700 civilians and is still growing. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Herman Shields, please call-…"_

I turned the T.V off instantly.

"I've got some information. I'm the reason he's missing." I huffed crossing my right leg over my left.

Nightwing, who was sitting next to me, grabbed the remote and turned the T.V back on. Luckily, the anchor was on another story. Batgirl, who was sitting in a chair upside down, flipped right side up and sighed.

"It won't be helpful. It's not helpful to us."

"Where do you think they could be keeping him?" I asked anyone in the room.

"Hard to tell. Cane doesn't like to stay in one place at one time. The last trace we have of him is at some old theater that's been closed for years. After that, the trace goes cold." Nightwing said.

I groaned and placed my head on my lap.

"In the mean time I suggest you get in some serious mission action, chica. You look dead." Blue Beetle suggested.

I looked up at him and smiled.

"I haven't been on one in a while," I then turned to Nightwing who sighed in return.

"If something comes up, Leila…"

"Oh jeez, Bird-boy! Let the girl breathe! We all need a chance to kick some butt every once in a while." Batgirl teased.

Nightwing glared at her but I giggled at the horrid nickname.

"Well do. _Bat_girl."

Cassie came over and sat beside me.

"I suggest we go to another planet and kick alien butt! That's always fun."

"No offense but I'm still trying to find my way on Earth." I smiled warily.

"What she needs is to find where Cane is hiding." Superboy pitched in from the corner.

I considered his notion. Cane is hiding from me and I had to find out where. Cane…. Hiding… wait a minute…

"Guys! Why would Cane be hiding from me?" I asked curiously.

"Ummm cause he's afraid you'll come and kick his ass?" Batgirl chimed in.

I shook my head, an epiphany rising. I stood as all my thoughts rushed into my head in an order that made sense.

"No he's not, Batgirl. He _wants_ me to find him… Why else would he have taken my friends hostage. He didn't hurt them… because he wants _me_." I said.

"Well duh! We know he wants you." Cassie smacked his hand against her forehead.

"No, no, no. He's giving me clues… some where completely easy-…"

"Like the data in the coke can…" Nightwing added, catching on to my idea.

"Right!" I turned and pointed at him, "But that's where the easy clues stopped. The rest, he wants me to find out for myself…. But I'm not catching on-…"

"So… he takes Herman…" Nightwing stood also.

"-In order to make a trail… a trail-…"

"Of your childhood." Nightwing stated. We were eyed to eye now, a glint of shock and impressments displayed in his eyes.

"Nightwing, pull up all the places you found traces of Cane in."

We rushed down to the Control Center with Nightwing leading the way. When he reached the main monitor, Nightwing began to type furiously. Then four different locations appeared on the screen.

"The basement of an evicted apartment complex, an old fire station, a rundown shack, and an old theater." Superboy read off.

"All these places are abandoned…" Batgirl noted.

"So what's the connection…?" Nightwing asked.

I stared at the screen in disbelief. There was no way Cane could've tracked me like this without me knowing… Apparently there was.

"These are all places Herman and I used to go. The apartment complex and a basement where Herman used to show me some tricks, the old fire station is where his dad worked… we used to hang out there after school, the rundown shack… that's where Uncle Phil and I used to live, and the theater… that's where Herman and I were in our first play…" I felt my stomach drop and the happy, thoughtless memories.

"He's going to all the places you guys used to hang out!" Beast Boy said distraught.

"Leila, where else did you and Herman hang out? What's left?" M'gann asked

I stepped back in shock. So many things were rushing through my mind. Where…. _Where_ was Cane? I was so close I could taste…

"Taste!" I shouted triumphantly.

Everyone's eyes where on me, ready for an explaination.

"He's at Mr. Hawking's Pizzaeria. It went bankrupt many years back. They tried to replace it with a used auto shop but that fell through too."

"Jeez, your town has a lot of creepy, villain-ish abandoned buildings." Beast Boy chimed in.

Nightwing turned to Batgirl,

"Get Batman on the line. Tell him we'll need an alpha squad-…"

"No!" I shouted quickly. Nightwing looked over at me.

"This is a mission for me." I told him. Nightwing wavered and nodded. I then turned to Cassie, M'gann, and Batgirl.

"I think I found our first mission."


	11. Chapter 11

Nightwing always wished everyone 'good luck' before they went into a mission. It seemed like an ordinary thing to say, but when you protected the world and everyone on it, the phrase had a new meaning. 'Good luck' meant don't get hurt, don't die, and kick ass. So, as Batgirl, Miss Martian, and Wonder Girl boarded the hovercraft, they made that silent promise to come back.

But as I walked up, in full costume, to board next, Nightwing's stone, emotionless face set to a frown. I turned to him, waiting for the phrase that I would inevitably agree to. But it didn't come for a moment. Within that moment, he stared at me, searching for something. I didn't move, allowing him to find whatever confirmation he was looking for. And slowly, a small smile appeared on his face.

"Good luck, Leila."

I leaned in and whispered in his ear.

"Don't need it."

I could feel Nightwing's smile grow without looking. I turned away from him and entered the hovercraft.

I hadn't been inside this flying machine since I rescued everyone from Cane's trap. I felt more at ease than at that moment. I found a seat and watched the windows as Miss Martian lifted us up and we sped away.

"We should get to the abandoned pizzeria in half an hour." Miss Martian stated.

"So, what's the plan?" Wonder Girl asked.

"Get Herman." I stayed staring out at the window.

The silence that followed forced me to turn to view their faces. They were all looking at me as if waiting for instructions.

"What?" I asked.

"Ummm… yea, How?" Batgirl asked.

I looked at all of them. Did they expect me to be the leader? I hadn't even thought this whole idea through yet. Which lets them know off the bat that I suck at being a leader.

"Please don't tell me you were gonna do this without a plan? Surely Cane has a plan!" Miss Martian panicked.

"Calm down and let me think." I growled turning to look out the window.

How _was_ I planning on pulling this off? All I knew is that I wanted to get Herman out of there. But _how_?

"We'll just have to sneak in." I stated softly.

Batgirl shrugged.

"It's worked before."

Wonder Girl nodded happily.

"But what do we do when we get in? Are you going to confront Cane?" Miss Martian asked.

"No… N-Not yet at least. I just wanna get Herman and get out. Cane can wait."

"Yeah, but for how long?"

Miss Martian's questions haunted me. I shuttered at the thought of coming face to face with Cane.

"Ok well we have to be able to communicate so I'm gonna put us on the same mental channel." Miss Martian said closing her eyes.

"What?" I asked.

"_Mental Channel!_" Wonder Girl shouted. I jumped at the sudden loudness of her voice. But my ears didn't sense anything outside… the voice came from… in my head.

"Woah… Wait…" I said hitting the side of my head.

_"You alright, Leila?_" Batgirl asked… _inside my head_.

I jumped up and looked at all of them.

"What the…?!" I shouted.

Miss Martian smirked at me.

_"I put us on the same mental wave channel, which means we can hear each other's thoughts without speaking them. It's like walkie talkies for your brain!"_ Miss Martian enthused.

I slowly sat back down at tried to do it myself.

_"This is so weird."_ I thought.

Wonder Girl clapped happily.

_"See? You got it! Now that we can think to ourselves, we should come up with an awesome name for Leila's super alter ego!" _Wonder Girl said excitedly.

I rolled my eyes and looked at anyone for suggestions.

Wonder Girl raised her hand.

_"OOO! What about Hexa Girl?! Get it? Hexagon? She can bend six elements!"_

Batgirl, Miss Martian, and I stared at Wonder Girl hopelessly.

_"Leila bends __**four**__ elements, Cassie." _Batgirl sighed.

Wonder Girls excitement exchanged with embarrassment.

_"Oh…"_

Batgirl thought hard.

_"How about something cool like Destructionista!"_

_ "NO!"_ Miss Martian and I thought at the same time.

_"How about Armina? It means universal?" _Miss Martian thought.

I looked at all of them. For some reason, a name for my alter ego never came to me. In fact, I never even considered it.

_"Ok, name guessing is over. We're here. Going invisible." _Miss Martian said closing her eyes once more.

I watched out the window as the exterior and interior disappeared. I sat back and contemplated the rescue mission that I had not thought through. How was I going to get Herman out of there… if I succeeded in finding him at all.

I felt a jolt as the hovercraft landed smoothly.

_"Ok, Cane is looking for Leila to come, so Wonder Girl and I will fly around scout out the place. Count to 100 and then Batgirl and Leila, you guys come on out and stealth the inside. Got it?" _Miss Martian instructed.

Everyone nodded and agreed to their order.

Wonder Girl and Miss Martian swiftly, but silently left the hovercraft.

I sat there contemplating the mission once more but Batgirl interrupted my thoughts.

_"Don't be so nervous, Leila. Everything will be fine."_

Her sudden raid of my thoughts made me jump. I looked over at her.

_"I-I'm fine…"_

_ "Besides. Nightwing wouldn't let you go if he didn't believe in you."_

I rolled my eyes.

_"Nightwing acts more like my father than a friend sometimes."_

Batgirl giggled.

_"I wonder who he gets that from? Trust me, he doesn't want to be your father."_

I looked at her curiously. Batgirl just shrugged.

_"Let's just say he's more protective over you than anyone I've seen in a while- Oh shoot! I forgot to count. What should we be on?... I'll start at 30….. 31.."_

Batgirl drifted off into thought which was good cause my thoughts were now on Nightwing. What did she mean? She, after all, knew Nightwing better than anyone.

_"Has he said something to you?" _I asked.

_"40..41… Nope. You can just tell… 42… 43.."_

_ "Tell what?"_ I urged.

_"50…51… Jeez you have a lot of questions to answers you should already know… 52…53"_

_ "What should I know?"_

_ "60….61…Are you kidding me? Those extra training courses…. 62…. 63… That urgent need to protect you no matter what…. 64…65…"_

I stopped thought. She wasn't concluding what I think she was concluding… was she? Though I wanted so desperately to believe that Nightwing had similar feelings to mine, he had shot me down completely just a week ago.

_"It's not what you think."_ My thoughts echoed defeat.

_"83…..84….85 What do you mean it's not what I think?"_

_ "I mean there's nothing going on between us. Trust me, I would know."_

Batgirl snorted but continued to count.

_"92…93… Listen, Leila, I've known D-..**Nightwing** for a very long time. He doesn't show his emotions because that's what he learned from Batman. But the way he looks at you… Even Miss Martian can tell he loves you, which is why she's not angry about Superboy anymore…. Oh shoot! Ummmm 95? Yea… 95… 96."_

I stopped short… What about Superboy? And did she just say _love_?

"100!" Batgirl hissed aloud.

I jumped at the out of body voice. But Batgirl was already hustling to the door. I took a deep breath, pushed all my swimming questions aside, and focused on getting Herman back to safety.

The door to the hovercraft opened and Batgirl and I leaped to the ground.

There was no sound coming from anywhere. Even the neighborhood that surrounded this once blooming pizzeria was abandoned. I looked up at the old building where Herman and I used to hang out. It not the bright colored, vibrant place it used to be. Instead, it was battered, worn down, and just plain old. I sighed at the happy memories I had once shared at this place. But my thoughts ran dry when Wonder Girl's voice rang through Batgirl's and my ears.

_"Girls! You have to come see this! Come inside!"_ she nearly shouted in our ear.

A felt panic rise up to my throat as my feet swiftly carried me to the broken door.

"It's unlocked!" I hissed to Batgirl.

She held up a finger as a sign to wait. I steadied my emotions and readied myself for any bending I may have to do.

Batgirl took a deep breath and counted to 3. She then kicked down the door and we both ran in with our backs to each other, ready to face any enemies on either side. The strange thing was… no one came at us.

"No one's here!" Batgirl shouted exasperated and disappointed.

I stood up straight and looked around. The place was abandoned… for real..

"T-This can't be!" I said in shock.

I could hear the torturous screams of Herman ring against these unspoken walls. I felt my knees go weak again, but Wonder Girl's call brought me back.

"Guys! In the basement."

Batgirl and I followed Wonder Girl's voice through the kitchen and down the stairs. When we reached the bottom, Miss Martian and Wondergirl were standing facing us. The basement was surrounded by darkness except for the on light bulb that hovered above the two on a loose chain stuck to the ceiling. They were too close to each other, as if they were hiding something behind their back.

"Leila…" Miss Martian started.

I looked into both of their eyes, searching for some kind of answer. But their eyes stayed solid; unwavering.

"We need you to be extremely calm-…"

"Yea… this place is too fragile for you to get angry in. It will fall to pieces." Wondergirl said slowly.

I struggled to keep my heartbeat at bay. I took a few deep breaths and closed my eyes, allowing any emotion to exhale from my body. I had to stay calm. But from what?

When I opened my eyes, Miss Martian and Wondergirl shifted their sights and then looked at Batgirl. Finally Miss Martian and Wondergirl took one large step apart.

There, in an old Mr. Hawking's Pizzeria birthday chair, was a beaten man. His head was leaned in towards his knees that were separated from one another. His hands were bound behind his back with thick rope and each foot was tied to a leg of the chair. Small droplets of blood dripped from his mouth and his breathing was so shallow that to a distant eye, he didn't seem to be breathing at all.

It took every fiber of my being to hold back the sadness, guilt, and anger. As I struggled, I took one step forward though my knees felt like they were about to give in again.

A low groan whispered into the air from the beaten body. It awoke my fierce spirit and I ran to the figure, knowing, with despair, who it was. I knelt on my knees and held the figure's face up into the dim light so that I could be completely sure. As I put the bloody face into the dim light, his eyes opened and the once awesomely bright green eyes that I once knew were dull and lifeless.

"Herman?..." My voice cracked.

The eyes shifted from the dull light to me. He didn't speak, but our eyes connected. I felt the pain and suffering he's dealt with whisk through my vein.

"Take the ropes off him!" I shouted aggressively.

The girls silently did as I asked and freed him from his bonds. As Batgirl tore off the last ropes that bound his arms, he leaned forward to fall over. I immediately caught him, though his heaviness made me struggle.

"We have to get him out of here." I cried in despair.

Miss Martian and Batgirl nodded to one another and ran up the stairs to make sure the coast was here. I stood and wrapped Herman's right arm around my neck. But his weight still slowed me down especially because he could barely walk.

"Leila… I can-…"

"I got him!" I shouted out of frustration. Wondergirl stepped in front of me and put her hand on my shoulder. I looked up at her and she smiled apologetically.

"Leila… he can't walk and you can't carry him." She reasoned.

I sighed and allowed Wondergirl to use her super strength to carry Herman bridal style. As soon as she picked him up a disk fell to the ground. Wondergirl and I looked at one another. I then bent down and picked up the disk. On the top, written in red, was writing that said,

_**For my beautiful Leila**_…

I didn't even have to guess who the disk was from.

"It was a setup… He knew we would come…" I said staring at the disk and dreading its contents.

"We'll watch it at HQ, we need to get out of here, Leila." Wondergirl cooed.

I closed my eyes but nodded. I slipped the disk into my bra.

I followed Wondergirl up the stairs and outside. I stopped as she climbed onto the hovercraft with the rest. I turned and looked at the old building. Shills ran up and down my spine. This place had been a haven of good memories for both Herman and me. But now… I turned my head to the ground, the power I had choked down slowly raising so much that I could taste it. But I refused to lose control. I had it.

I exhaled deeply and closed my eyes.

_"Leila! What's going on?! Let's get out of here!"_ Miss Martian urged.

I ignored my mental channel and allowed strong gusts of wind to circle around me. Trees shifted as the winds grew stronger and circled around me.

I opened my eyes and allowed them to take in the enhanced colors. But their sights were on the building.

_"This is for Herman."_ I announced.

I raised my hands and with all the energy in my body stomped forward and pushed my hands towards the building. The wind around me, now a full tornado, went straight towards the building, shattering the place into ruins. Pieces of wood and furniture flew everywhere. Even the hovercraft shook from the force. Finally, when the building was completely demolished. I inhaled, lowered my hands, and exhaled. The whooping tornado entirely disappeared.

After taken in the damage I'd done, I walked onto the hovercraft and found my seat. I looked over at Herman who was painfully resting on a soft cot in the back… the same cot Nightwing and once been in. I stared at him as the hovercraft rose into the air and sped off.

_"That was insanely scary."_ Wondergirl broke the silence. Everyone looked over at her.

_"AWESOME! But… kinda scary…"_ Wondergirl shrugged.

I sighed and walked over to Herman and sat down next to him. His groaning was soft but I could still hear the pain.

"Herman… Herman I'm so sorry…" I sobbed softly.

He didn't move or even turn his head. His eyes were closed but fluttered whenever he felt pain.

"I-I'm sorry I forgot about you…" I felt fresh tears moisten my cheek.

To my surprise, Herman slowly turned to me and gave his best form of a smile, which was a small twitch on the right corner of his lips. I smiled too and reached for his hand. He squeezed it for a second and groaned in pain again. But his hand never left mine.

I remembered this wing of Headquarters.

I _hated_ hospitals. I had been in here when Nightwing got hurt. Now I was here for Herman… ready to hear something…

I had no idea why I hated hospitals so much, but then again my past was foggy too. It was something about tubes and needles that drove me to insanity.

I groaned in thought, brought my knees to my chin, and ran both my hands through my damp hair.

As soon as we arrived back from rescuing Herman, we were swarmed with questions. Even Batman, Tornado, and Wonder Woman were there to hear any information. I allowed the doctors to take Herman away from me, though it took time separating our hands. I even allowed Miss Martian to explain to everyone what had happened as I went upstairs to rip off my costume and take a cold shower to cool down my rising temperature. I stood in the shower for about an hour. Not moving, not speaking, not even thinking. I just stood there, staring at the water drain.

I _hated_ hospitals, but it seemed as if I had a nag for coming to this wing more than any others. I ran my hands through my hair again and then allowed my head to rest against the wall. I closed my eyes and took in the shield from the draining hospital lights. I didn't open them as I felt a presence sit beside me.

"Being here never gets easier." Nightwing said softly.

I opened one eye and looked over at him.

For the first time, Nightwing wasn't in his normal, superhero getup. He had on regular gray sweatpants stringed tightly to his waist, and a black t-shirt that defined his toned upper muscles.

I quickly opened both eyes, sat up, and looked up at his face. But of course, he had on extremely dark tinted sunglasses to hide his identity.

I snorted and leaned back against the wall.

"What?" Nightwing asked.

"You might as well have on your suit." I sighed.

Nightwing leaned his head back against the wall also.

"I've got to keep my identity secret, Leila. If it gets out, my enemies would do anything to destroy anything or anyone I love or care about."

_Love…_

I opened my eyes and looked over at Nightwing. His head was up towards the ceiling so I knew he couldn't see the look on my face.

"Batgirl told me something…" I began.

It was Nightwing's turn to snort.

"Batgirl tells everyone something…" He chuckled.

I stopped short and looked at the ground in thought. So had she been just ruffling my feathers?

Nightwing looked down at me with raised eyebrows.

"What did Batgirl say?" He asked curiously.

My eyes remained on the ground; trying to find a way to get around the main thing she told me that stuck in my head. Finally I looked up at him.

"She says you really suck at expressing yourself." I admitted.

Nightwing looked back up at the ceiling.

"I guess I do. But I like to express myself in my actions. By saving people…"

"That must be hard on everyone else that you love and care about… like you said…" I said quickly.

"It must be…" He trailed off.

There was a moment of silence.

"Have you ever loved anyone?" I asked suddenly.

Nightwing choked on his surprise. He sat up and looked over at me. I struggled to find a way to redeem my sudden outburst.

"I-I mean a good looking guy like you has surely dated plenty of women. One of them must've stuck…" I trailed off.

Nightwing scratched his head trying to find the right words.

"Well…. I mean… wait..." He stopped as my sentence fully registered. A sly smirk grew across his face.

"You think I'm good looking?" The smirk he had on his face was so overwhelming sexy that I couldn't help but laugh. The feeling sent a good kind of warmth through me. I needed to laugh.

"Just answer the question, Bird-Boy." I quoted his old friend.

Nightwing scowled at the name and continued to think over my question.

"Yea… I guess I have loved before… or… at least strongly liked. Which is why I'm so careful about keeping my personal life and work life separate."

The last part seemed like a punch in my gut. I was a part of his work life…which meant he wouldn't allow me to mix in with his personal life. He slipped up when we kissed and made a point to put our working relationship back on track.

_It was nothing._

That statement still sent my heart in flames.

"Well have any of the girls you dated ever gotten hurt or killed?"

Nightwing flinched at the thought. He sighed and shook his head.

"No." He stated.

"Then why are you so worried about it… I mean… you've got a winning streak…"

Nightwing sighed and ran his hands through his hair. When he did so, the muscles in his arm flexed, sending chills down my spine.

"If I really care about someone," He stated looking dead at me, "Then I won't risk taking a chance."

His words bounced all around my head. Our gaze lingered until the door of the operating room opened.

Dr. Fort, the doctor that took care of Nightwing and I sent flying, stood with a clipboard in his hands.

I stood up immediately and Nightwing followed. Dr. Fort looked at both of us.

"He's been badly beaten. Fractures to the skull, 3 broken ribs, and baseball size bruises. He's gonna need to stay in here for a while. At least until he can get up by himself."

"But he's going to recover?" I asked.

The doctor smiled and nodded.

I sighed of relief then thought of another issue.

"What about his girlfriend and the news? He's still missing to them."

Nightwing nodded.

"He's gonna have to stay missing until he gets better and can answer some questions, unfortunately. But we'll get him out as soon as possible. He's safer here anyway, Leila." Nightwing reassured.

I sighed thinking about how worried his girlfriend must be.

"Thank you Dr. Fort." I smiled.

The doctor nodded and went back into the room. I sighed and turned to Nightwing. I hugged him with relief. His arms snaked around my waist as he hugged me in return. We finally parted and a sudden thought ran across my mind.

I hit my head.

"I forgot!" I said as my heartbeat quickened.

Nightwing's face slowly turned down.

"What's wrong?"

"Cane… he left a disk… with my name on it."


	12. Chapter 12

I had never been one to have nervous habits like biting my fingernails, popping my fingers, or tapping my feet. But I yearned to find some way to exert the nervousness I felt as everyone gathered around the monitor to look at the contents on the disk. I was in the center of the crowd that included a mixture of Justice Leaguers and The Team members. I felt somewhat secure because Nightwing and Superboy were on either side of me.

Batman and Phil were in the front controlling the machine. I watched as Phil took the disk I handed to him and pushed it into the computer. I held my breath has it loaded. The screen darkened and a video began. But instead of Cane's scarred face… I saw a little girl in a birthday hat eating pizza with another little red head boy.

The little girl was_ me_. I was about 13 in the video.

I watched in horror and shock as my smaller self laughed into the camera. A second later, Phil was on camera with a large cake and placed it in front of me. I beamed as everyone sang me happy birthday. Herman grabbed a hold of my shoulders and sang the loudest.

Tears formed in my eyes as I recalled this distant memory. I looked over at Phil who had a huge frown on his face. I inhaled and tried to hold onto my wavering emotions.

I watched as I blew out the candles. Herman grabbed a piece of cake with his hand and shoved it in my face. I did the same for him. We were both smiling… we were happy.

Suddenly the video fuzzed up and Cane appeared. His face made me want to jump out of my skin. I could even hear a bunch of gasps throughout the room.

"Hello, Leila! Hello Justice League members and their annoying sidekicks!" His voice was as horridly smooth as I remembered. Hearing him reminded me of drinking sweet poison.

"It's amazing what a pizzeria will leave behind for anyone to find. I even found a couple of auto parts when that old auto company commandeered this place. Remember that, Leila? You were so heartbroken when Mr. Hawkings got shut down…"

I swallowed and tried to contain the fact that Cane had been following me since childhood.

"Now, I know what you all are thinking. What's the point of this video Cane? Why are you torturing Leila and nearly murdering Herman. Well, my good people, it's simple… because…." He leaned in closer to the camera, "I. _**can**_…. You see I've always been a man who goes after what I want. And I will pretty much do anything to get what I want. Now, as a gift to you, Leila, I'm leaving Herman alive… but barely… in hopes that I won't have to refer to murder to get your attention. You've got those damn super heroes and their brat sidekicks following me around, ruining your clues, and ruining my plans. You have something I want, Leila… if you haven't figured that out by now by those chemistry equations. Now… I'll wait for a limited time for you to surrender to me… or I'll have to start picking off every one of your loved ones. Starting off with Dr. Phillip Andrews and ending with Nightwing… but because of your disobedience, I'll make you _watch_." His eyes got so intensely evil that I had to look away for a moment. He cleared his throat, cooled his wild eyes, and continued.

"I've still got surprises, Leila. Remember that."

Then the camera flicked on Herman's face. The camera closed in on him as he looked around wildly and begged to be left alone. One of Cane's goons held up a picture… of me.. Herman squinted a little but a flood of realization washed over his face.

"Leila?! What have you done to her?! Where is she?! I swear I'll-…"

But his speech was cut short when a goon hit him across the head with a bat. Herman didn't speak, he didn't even move. His head slumped over and touched his knees just as I had found him earlier. The video cut off completely. Everyone in the room was shocked into silence.

My eyes didn't leave the screen.

"We've got to find that son of a bitch!" Phil suddenly yelled punching the keyboard. Batman held him back with one arm. Phil turned to me and ran towards me.

"Leila… I'll find him myself…. I'll-…"

"That won't help, Phil. You need to stay as safe as possible. Cane is growing more dangerous." Batman considered

I just looked at them both; my voice had been lost.

"What should we do?" Superboy's voice was low and angry.

"We've got to keep looking for him. He will stop at nothing to get Leila." Nightwing commanded.

My eyes shifted to Nightwing.

"Didn't you hear what he said? You all go after him, he'll kill you." I pleaded lowly.

But Nightwing didn't seem afraid.

I mentally picked through all the choices I had. And there weren't many. There was only one way to ensure the safely of my friends…

"I'll surrender." I stated softly.

But everyone in the room had heard my solution. The look on Superboy and Phil face revealed pure horror and anguish that that would even be a solution in my head. I didn't dare look at Nightwing's expression.

"That's not an option." Nightwing's voice was dark and absolute.

I finally summed up the courage to turn and face him.

"Then what do you suggest? Have team after team go after him until there's only me left? I'm not letting anyone risk anything else for me."

Nightwing looked at me in disbelief. I could barely believe myself either. Was I really willing to sacrifice myself for people I'd just met a couple of months ago? I dismissed this thought after I realized that Nightwing had undoubtedly risked his.

"If they let you just walk up to Cane all willy nilly, then this whole effort would've been for nothing." Phil enquired.

I sighed and crossed my arms.

"What do we do then?"

Batman stepped up and put his hand on my shoulder, the first warm gesture he had ever presented to me.

"We keep you safe and bring Cane to justice."

After the video, everyone had his or her own plan on how to destroy Cane. Miss Martian thought destroying his brain would be most sufficient (and scariest). Beast Boy wanted to use his elephant form to stomp Cane into the ground. Superboy just wanted punch him in the face 'one… goooodd time.'. And as all these ideas swirled around me, I realized that the leader was nowhere to be found.

Realizing that my declaration of swift surrender had gotten to Nightwing, I ducted out from all prospects of ideas and went to search for him.

I checked everywhere I could think of: the training room, the common room, and even the obstacle course. But Nightwing wasn't in any of those places. I sighed and tried to think of where _I _would be if I had just gotten the shock of the lifetime and need to blow off steam and think…

After a moment's thought, I smiled and snapped my fingers.

He seemed peaceful on the rooftop. His hair flowed effortlessly in the wind. I knew that he noticed me when I finally climbed up, but he didn't make an effort to say anything.

I silently sat beside him and looked at the beautiful scenery that surrounded us. We stayed silent for 10 minutes just listening to the sounds of the waves below us, and the birds above us.

"I can't believe you would say something like that…" Nightwing's voice broke.

I looked over at him with a small frown set on my face.

"I can't believe you thought I'd let you risk your life again…" I snorted softly.

Nightwing turned his body completely in my direction.

"I can handle myself." He said finally. He then turned back forward; putting his right knee up and resting his right arm on it.

I looked over at him and smiled. I realized that it was so difficult for Nightwing to say what he wanted to say. That he'd never been in a position to mix business and pleasure. I bit my lower lip and moved in front of him. I obstructed his view and sat on my knees right in between his legs. Nightwing was surprised by this movement, but didn't make an effort to regret me.

"I know you can handle yourself. You '_handle_' yourself too much. You need to relax." I offered.

Nightwing snorted and looked away.

"You don't know anything…" He said softly.

I sighed and relaxed my posture.

"I know that if you didn't like me, you wouldn't send me on this mental and emotional wild goose chase. I'm kind of tired…"

Nightwing glanced at me. So I continued.

"I would much rather you risk my measly life so you can save many more later."

Nightwing jerked his head towards me.

"Your life isn't _measly_ Leila…" He then looked away, "I'd rather save yours than anyone else's." He mumbled.

And that was it. That _one_ statement was all the confirmation I needed. I felt my heart lift and swell like a balloon. I exhaled deeply and smiled. I leant in closer to him.

"Wait…" Nightwing whispered.

I held my position for a moment, but he didn't object anymore. I smirked and leaned in all the way. My lips pressed against his soft ones. Memories lit up my thoughts. The strong scent of vanilla made my nostrils flare and hunger for more. Slowly his lips parted so I could enjoy the taste and feel of his single bottom lip. A rush of passion and fierceness overwhelmed me to the point where I held onto his face for stability. He found it perfect timing to snake his arms around my waist and pull me closer. I had never felt the need to make something last forever before. But if I could've slowed time, it would be for this moment. Our lips were totally in sync. He opened again and I took advantage and sucked his upper lip. His grasp on my waist tightened.

Finally, for what seemed like hours later, we broke apart. He untangled his arms and I sat back to examine the damage I'd done. We both stared at one another as we panted to catch our breath. When our panting finally slowed, I couldn't help but laugh. He watched me with a fearful smile set on his lips. I knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Leila… I can't-"

"I know, Nightwing. That was just to loosen you up." I chuckled.

Nightwing's smile radiated with happiness that we were on the same page. It was complicated now. We could not be together, but we could be satisfied with the fact that our feelings were mutual.

"I'm still not letting you surrender." Nightwing voice lowered.

I laughed and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Ok, let's make a deal. You do what you can, _without dying_, to destroy Cane and his evil little minions. And if you fail… then my plan. Deal?"

Nightwing put his hands on my hips.

"Deal."

I sighed with relief and patted his head.

"I'm gonna go check on Herman. I'll see you later, Nightwing." I cooed as I stood and turned to leave the rooftop.

"Dick…" Nightwing said loud enough for only me to hear.

I turned to him completely confused.

"Excuse me?"

"My name is Dick-… well Richard Grayson… Dick for short…" He finished. He looked at the ground and then looked back up at me.

My head spun with this new set of information. But instead of showing the parade that was going on in my head, I bit my lip, nodded and turned.

My elated feeling followed me all the way to the hospital ward. I literally felt like I was floating, which sounds so cliché but my feelings for Nightwing… excuse me _Richard_… were the exact definition of cliché. And as I floated to Herman's room, I felt that nothing could bring down this feeling of absolute accomplishment.

But Herman's face… slowly brought my high down.

He was still lying in bed. Though he was awake, he didn't move much. When I walked in, he didn't even bother looking at my direction. His eyes, instead, stayed glued to the ceiling while he breathed, lowly, heavily, and steadily. I closed the door softly, so as not to scare him. Then, I proceeded to take a couple of steps further. But he did not look over. Finally, I summed up the courage to speak first.

"Herman…" I whispered.

His once, dull eyes widened and he snapped his head toward me as a reflex. But he instantly regretted it. He gasped in pain.

I ran over to his side and sat on the chair that was next to his bed.

"Are you ok?" I asked pressing the palm of my hand to his forehead.

Surprisingly, he chuckled.

"I've dealt with worse, trust me." He mumbled.

I don't know why the sound of his voice had such an impact on me. I had, after all, heard it on the videotape. But hearing in this close made the intensity of his former predicament more real. I inhaled sharply, but exhaling took more effort than it should have. Herman slowly looked up at my face hovering above his.

"I-I still can't believe it's you…" He trailed off in amazement.

I smiled and leaned back so that I was no longer hovering over him. I realized that I had no idea what to say to a man whom and been tortured because of me. So I sat there and just looked at him. After a moment, one question that had been in my gut finally surfaced.

"Where did you go?" I asked.

Herman took a moment, though he knew what I was talking about. He looked up at the ceiling and attempted to recall the events that happened all those years ago.

"He said I wasn't normal… That I needed help…" Herman sighed mysteriously.

I never got to ask any more questions because Batman walked in. He stood with Dr. Fort.

Herman looked over at them both and sighed. I defensively stood and blocked their view of him.

"We were talking." I stated.

Batman didn't think anything of my statement.

"Well now it's time I talked to him." He stepped forward next to me. He looked over at Herman for a long moment. Then he glanced at me.

"Do you mind?" He asked gruffly.

I put my hands on my hips.

"_Yes_. I mind." I said sizing up to him.

"Leila, it's alright. I'll be fine." Herman assured.

I glared at Batman and leaned over to give Herman a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll be back to visit soon."

I grudgingly left the room and my friend with 'The World's Greatest Detective'.


	13. Chapter 13

_Richard 'Dick' Grayson _was not new at this. I could tell by he way he kissed.

His lips were so smooth and warm and his tongue was so soft as it brushed across my lower lip… wait… I'm getting carried away again. I was falling into his trap. I _had_ to focus.

Ok.

I'm angry….

Dick moved his lips up my cheek.

_Damn it. Why am I angry?_

I raised my hand and little pushed his shoulder. He took instruction and stepped back. I recovered from the dazed feeling I always felt after he got a little too passionate. But I had to remember he was doing this for a reason. He was doing this to calm me down…. But _why_ wasn't I calm?

I looked up at him with blank eyes just so he would think that his genius plan hadn't actually worked. I turned the corner of my lips down for more affect. Though we were in the privacy of my bedroom, he still had a gilt to look over his shoulder. After that habit, he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. My acting had worked.

"You can't be angry at him forever. You have to look at both sides of the situation."

Though I knew Nightwing's real name now (Which I could only say in my head. Nightwing made me solemnly promise), he still spoke to me like a strategic trainer. Which isn't that bad because I still haven't seen the other half of his face.

But _who_ was I angry at again.

Oh… that's right… Batman.

My frown was real this time.

"He has no right to keep me away from my friend, Nightwing." I warned. It was true. Batman had ordered that everyone stay out of Herman's hospital ward for the last week (including me). I had tried every way possible to see him, but Batman had Leaguers guarding the ward. The one time I tried to sneak through using my powers, the 'Man of Steel' himself greeted me. That was definitely a no go. I just wanted to find out if my friend was ok and, most importantly, what he could tell me about Cane.

Dick sighed again and looked at me with that winning smirk.

"What… if I told you that I can get you in tonight…" Nightwing trailed off.

My frown instantly lit up.

"Dick you-…" I stopped short by the look of horror on Nightwing's face.

"Ahem.. _Nightwing_, you know how to get through?"

Dick took a second to recover but nodded.

"I know for a fact that Captain Marvel will be guarding the ward tonight… We can surely get past him." Nightwing allured.

I clapped happily and wrapped my arms around Nightwing's neck.

"If I would've known you would be _this_ helpful, I would've kissed you on a rooftop a long time ago." I smiled.

"Yea, yea, yea." Dick pecked my lips.

"So when do we sneak out?" I asked in my best creepy voice.

"I'd say around midnight. Everyone will be asleep by then."

"You're on."

So we went our separate ways for the rest of the day. Keeping our distance from each other but secretly anticipating tonight's antics.

I sat in my bed ay 11:40 in a tank top and sweatpants, waiting for the time to come. As time past, I silently drifted off to sleep. But Nightwing who had a smile on his face waked me.

"Is it past your bed time?" He asked.

"Shut it bird-boy." I yawned climbing out of bed.

When I was finally out, Nightwing took a good look at me.

"What?" I asked annoyed.

"Never seen you in… sweats before."

I waved my hand and dismissed it.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer." I said walking past him.

We walked to the hospital ward and, sure enough, Captain Marvel was standing in front of Herman's room with his arms crossed and his face stoned and serious. Before he could see us, we stepped back and went around the corner.

"Remember the plan, ok?" Dick whispered to me.

I nodded.

Dick stood and walked in front of me towards Captain Marvel. I had only seen this man a couple of times, but I'd never spoken to him. Though he seemed quite big and intimidating, Nightwing laughed it off and assured me that he wasn't your ordinary superhero.

When we reached the huge man, he merely gazed down at us.

"Heya, Captain Marvel." Dick waved happily.

My first thought was that Captain Marvel would give us both a strong lecture and scare us back to our room. But what happened… shocked me into silence. Instead of an angry, aggressive, man, Captain Marvel smiled, grabbed Nightwing, and lifted him into the air.

"Nightwing! It's been so long! I remember when you used to be Robin. Remember that?! Remember?" Captain Marvel marveled.

I looked from Nightwing to Marvel… he acted just like… a _kid_.

"Yes… I remember…" Nightwing struggled to say.

Finally, after squeezing Nightwing to death, Marvel put him down. Nightwing stumbled beside me.

"_You_ were _Robin_?" I hissed in humor. I thought of the new Robin and couldn't picture Nightwing in that suit.

"Not now." Nightwing hissed, embarrassed.

I nodded and focused my attention on Marvel.

"Hello." I started smiling.

Captain Marvel finally looked at me.

"Oh I know who you are? You've been a topic at panel for months now! Leila right?!"

I smiled and nodded. Topic at panel, huh?

"Well we just wanted to tell you that Miss Martian fixed some cupcakes in the common room. She really wants you to try them." I said.

Captain Marvel's face lit up and fell at the same time.

"I-I can't. Batman gave me strict orders to stay and guard this door at all times." Marvel stated. But he seemed so tempted by the idea that cupcakes were waiting for him.

Nightwing sighed dramatically.

"Well that's too bad… cause she was starting on smores next and-…"

"Smores? I LOVE Smores!" Captain Marvel clapped excitedly.

"Well you should get them before Beast Boy gets to 'em cause he's got a mean appetite." I warned.

Captain Marvel looked at the door behind him and back at us. He then bit his lower lip as he tried to make a decision.

"Well… I will only be 5 or 10 minutes… Batman wouldn't mind would he…?" Captain Marvel asked Nightwing.

And, of course, Nightwing lied through his teeth.

"Ooooohhhh noooooo. Batman would _want___you to treat yourself after standing guard so well." Nightwing encouraged.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. When Marvel looked at me for a second approval, I nodded furiously.

"Well…. I have been standing here a while… Will you watch it for me?"

Nightwing smiled charmingly.

"I would love to. Go enjoy!"

With that, Captain Marvel clapped with joy and ran off towards the kitchen on the other side of Mount Justice.

I looked at Nightwing.

"That was brilliant!" I hissed.

Nightwing smiled and opened the door for me. I cautiously walked in.

Herman was not in his bed, but sitting in a chair. His back was facing us and he was looking out the window. When he heard the door open his turned his head slightly.

"Herman?" I called out, unable to believe that he was actually out of bed. As soon as he heard my voice, he bolted upright and turned to look at me.

"Leila!" He called happily. He walked over to me, and lifted me up into a hug. I was still afraid that any movement might injure my friend. When he sat me down, I got a good look at him.

He was healthy, except for a couple of scars and bruises and scattered his arms. I looked over at Nightwing who had his eyes on Herman cautiously.

"H-How are you…?" I couldn't finish. I knew that I hadn't seen him in a week. But there wasn't any way he could've gotten this much better over such injuries in that short time.

Herman looked over at Nightwing and shrugged.

"That old Martian guy has been drowning me in meds and stuff"

"Martian Manhunter." Nightwing informed him.

Herman snapped his fingers and pointed at Nightwing.

"That's him!"

"Wow… they're really ready for you to get back to your life, huh?" I asked.

Herman looked somewhat confused.

"What life?"

I looked at Nightwing and back at Herman.

"You're average life. With your girlfriend, Penelope…"

Herman scratched his head as if he was struggling with something.

"Oh yeaa. I-I forgot about her…" He trailed off and stared into space.

I took another frightful glance at Nightwing and stepped forward to touch Herman's face. He caressed the hand I had placed on his face.

"You always had the softest hands." He said in admiration.

I removed my hand. It was as if he had forgotten about Penelope… about his life.

"Herman… what else has Martian Manhunter been doing to you?" I asked trying to keep my voice steady.

Herman's face lifted and he thought.

"Well, they've been trying to restore my powers. Batman thinks that they're dormant. Even though I've told him that they took it away a long time ago-"

"Wait..," Nightwing said, clearly as confused as I was, "Dormant? Who is _they_?"

"They called themselves the healers. My father sent me to their hospital when I was 15. They shocked me and stuck me with things and took my powers away."

I gasped in horror at the new information as to where my friend had been taken all those years ago. How could his father have been so cruel?

"That's not possible…" I whispered.

Herman shook his head.

"Batman doesn't think so either. He thinks they put a plug on it. So he's been doing reverse shock therapy for a couple of days now. Thank goodness I got those steroids. Shock therapy is…" He shuddered, "But he said that if my powers are restored, I can help you. So I'll do whatever he says to help you."

"Batman is giving you… shock therapy? To… _help me_?" my temperature was rising by the minute. I felt my fingertips flinch.

"Leila…" Nightwing cooed to no avail.

Herman simply nodded.

"I mean, it's cool. I guess I'm kind of used to it. Manhunter's little girl version's been picking at my head though. I mean, I can _feel_ her searching through my brain. I can never get used to that." Herman scratched his head.

"Miss… Martian…" I felt myself becoming unsteady. Nightwing grasped onto my hand and squeezed it. But he had to quickly remove it because they were so hot.

"Yeeeaaa. So what brings you here? Batman said I wouldn't be able to see you until treatment was over."

I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes for a brief moment. I forced myself to stay calm over the situation.

"Why?" I asked.

"What are you doing in here?" a voice thundered behind us.

I turned and Batman, Martian Manhunter, and Miss Martian stood at the doorway with Captain Marvel wallowing in the background.

Batman… had come at the wrong moment.

"What are _you_ doing to my friend?!" I shrieked.

M'gann was the first to step forward.

"Leila, we've been trying to access memories that Herman's unable to tell us-…"

"So you pick through his _brain_?" My temper was rising by the minute.

Nightwing stepped in front of me to calm the situation.

"Why didn't we know about this?" He asked Batman directly.

"Because you've gotten to comfortable with your business," He then eyed me, "We are thinking clearly enough to know what's best for the League-"

"What about what's best for Herman!" I shouted.

"Herman is completely safe and well. I've made sure of that." Martian Manhunter intervened.

"Yea, by shoving meds down his throat." Nightwing countered.

"W-What's going on…" Herman asked hitting his head with his hand over and over.

I looked over at him and then back at the others.

"He can't remember his past… his girlfriend… his _life_." I hissed.

"I'm trying to bring out all the memories of Cane." M'gann defended.

"So you erase everything else?!" I asked stepping up to her. She kept her eyes on the ground.

"They're not erased. They're just… in the corner of his mind."

I couldn't believe M'gann. We had gotten so much closer in the past few weeks. For her to completely hijack my old friend's brain and allow some apathetic brute like Batman to shock him… I was so angry I knew that I should get away from everyone.

"We're trying to get him to regain his powers and find out what he knows about Cane." Batman said.

"You're doing this the wrong way! He's not just some science experiment! He's a human being." Nightwing declared.

"You do what's right for one human and I do what's right for human kind." Batman shot at Nightwing.

Nightwing left my side and walked up to Batman.

"And that's the biggest difference between us. I've got the conscience. One human _is_ human kind." He growled.

He then pushed past them all and left the room. There was a moment of silence as I regained my posture.

"There is no justification for this. He's my _friend_. Not just some weapon" I said and I followed Nightwing out the room. I wanted desperately to take Herman with me but I knew that now was not the time. I could feel him watching me leave. I secretly made a promise that I would get him out of the place I had sworn was a safe haven.

I walked down and around the corner. Nightwing was standing there waiting for me. He was somewhat calmer than he was during his altercation with Batman.

"Way to keep your cool. No earthquakes." He gave bitter humor.

I had never seen Nightwing's room before. But its decoration was as surprising as I would think. The walls were painted navy blue and his bed was surrounded by desks and tables full of weapons and papers. I carelessly placed myself on his bed and watched as he undressed.

I'm sure he didn't realize how closely I was analyzing his muscles or how the only pieces of clothing he had on left were his boxers and that measly mask. He brought a t-shirt over his head and pulled up some sweatpants. He then turned to me.

"Ooooo sweatpants…" I stated cleaverly.

Nightwing snorted and placed himself beside me. We were both on our backs, staring at the ceiling. The darkness surrounded us except for the small light that stretched from his bathroom.

"We've got to get him out of there." I said sadly.

Nightwing sighed and covered his mask with one of his arms. I looked over at him and knew that fighting with his mentor wasn't what Nightwing had planned this evening.

"I'm sorry." I stated softly.

"He said I'm not focused. But I've never been so focused before. I can have you and work at the same time! He does it all the time." He defended.

I stayed silent and allowed him to vent.

"He's trying to dignify something he knows is wrong. Shock therapy? Picking through his brain? And Miss Martian is too dangerous to be doing that"

I sighed and turned to my side, facing him.

"Well, they're not gonna do anything tonight with the show we just put on. We'll have to argue again tomorrow."

Dick looked over at me. I knew what Batman had said to him really hurt him. Dick tried his best to be a good hero. But was I the unbalance in his life now?

"They're doing _what_?" Superboy and Beast Boy exclaimed at the same time.

We were sitting in my bedroom, I on my bed, Beast Boy and Superboy on the floor against my dresser, and Nightwing on the window ceil. I knew that they had heard what I'd told them, but it took time to fully process.

"M'gann… she's… picking through his brain?" Beast Boy said in disbelief.

Superboy balled his hands into fists.

"I've told her about doing that. It's a surprise Herman isn't brain dead."

I sat up in horror at Superboy's words.

"Cut it out Conner!" Beast Boy said throwing a pencil at his direction.

"Ouch! _Garfield_." Superboy hissed.

I was surprised by their use of normal names. Because I had always known everyone by the super hero names, it was difficult for me to call them anything but.

"M'gann isn't destroying Herman's brain like those aliens. She's picking through his memories." Nightwing inquired.

Superboy and Beast Boy looked over at Nightwing as if he was a strange object.

"Dude, why are you here?"

Nightwing looked at him in surprise and glanced over at me. We (more like Nightwing) decided that it would be best to keep our relationship (or lack there of) a secret from anyone else. So it was surprising to see the Team Leader in my bedroom.

"He was with me. Never mind that. The point _is_ they are treating Herman like a science project. And I'm not ok with it."

"Well neither are we." Beast Boy added.

"So what do we do about it?" Superboy asked.

There was a moment of silence as we thought over our choices.

"Get him outta here?" I suggested.

"And go where? M'gann tampered with his brain so much he barely remembers his own girlfriend."

I sighed in frustration. I was truly never going to forgive M'gann for this.

"There's only one thing we can do…" Nightwing concluded.

"And what's that?" I asked.

"We've got to end this ourselves." Superboy said


	14. Chapter 14

I wasn't exactly sure what Conner and Dick had in mind as we walked up to the hospital ward. But whatever it was, they were more than ready to do it. I knew that Dick's energy was more focused on Batman's disapproving hand. While Conner was more focused on the fact that his ex girlfriend (whom he was still in love with) was doing the very thing that set them apart not so long ago.

I knew their motives for confronting the captors on Herman's current situation. Which is why I stayed behind their flanks with Beast Boy. When we finally reached Herman's ward after my race to keep up with the flaming duo, a large guard did not greet us. Conner pushed the door open and there was M'gann, just about to put her fingers to Herman's willing head.

"M'gann stop!" Conner ordered.

I walked fully into the room. On the other side of the room, behind Conner, Batman and Manhunter sat as if they had been waiting on us. Dick immediately put his back against Conner's.

"Why are you here?" Batman asked lowly.

"To stop this madness!" Dick countered.

Conner's eyes were still on M'gann's.

"You know you can't control this like you think you can. You could damage his brain permanently." He pleaded.

Before M'gann could speak, Manhunter spoke for her.

"M'gann has been extremely careful when preceding with Leila's friend. I have made sure of it."

"And what if she slips?" I asked walking up and separating M'gann from Herman.

M'gann looked down at the ground in shame.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

I turned to the others with a new idea in mind.

"Let me get the information." I pleaded.

Everyone looked at me.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Manhunter asked.

"The old fashion way…_asking_. Look, I'm the only one he knows and the only one he's comfortable with. Just give me one on one time with him. Please." I offered.

Everyone's eyes moved to Batman. His eyes were on me and in a second, they narrowed.

"Fine." His voice was so low and tempered; I knew that I had to take advantage of his momentary kindness.

I helped Herman up and took him out of the room. Beast Boy was behind us followed by Conner and Dick. We rushed back to my room, ignoring Herman's amazed comments about The Cave. I felt my feet carrying me faster than I thought possible because of the mere fear that Batman might change his mind. But finally, we all made it to my room without any objections.

I sat Herman on the bed and turned to the others. The looks on their faces were a blank as mine. Yea, I was in way too deep but I couldn't let Herman stay in that room having his brain tampered with.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, trying to think of what to do. I then looked at my friends.

"I think Herman and I should be alone…" I mumbled towards them. We all looked over my shoulder at Herman who seemed so out of everything. I knew that this was a side effect of M'gann's tampering.

"Holler if you need us." Beast Boy said as he and Conner left my room. Dick lingered, glancing at Herman every second.

"I'll be fine, Boy Wonder." I whispered kissing his cheek.

Dick smiled, nodded, and, with one last glance at Herman, left. I watched the door long after Dick left, trying to figure out what the hell I should do first.

I sighed and turned back to Herman whose eyes were on me.

"That guy really likes you… I can tell." He stated

I nodded awkwardly.

"Yea… I just figured that out myself."

"Are you two boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Well…no… not really…. Anyways let's get back to you." I rambled as I walked over to him and knelt before him.

"Herman, I need to know what you remember about Cane."

Herman snorted.

"Doesn't everyone…" He trailed off.

I sighed and tried to give him some hints. I knew that my distinct memory could trigger some of his.

"I bet you hated his voice… It was silky smooth… like sweet syrup...but like poison because it was pure-…"

"Evil." Herman mumbled. After he said this, he hit his head repeatedly as if trying to hold onto this thought. I grabbed a hold of his wrists and he was forced to look at me.

"That's right, Herman. And the things he'd say would be so hurtful. Threatening everyone you love-…"

"He said he would hurt Penelope…" He stammered.

My heart quickened at his sudden memory gain. If only Batman would've allowed me to do this before.

"What else did he say?" I urged softly.

Herman closed his eyes and balled his fists tightly. I suddenly realized that I knew exactly how he felt; the pain of just _not knowing_ what had happened to you. We both had that in common… along with Cane. I released his wrists and scooted back. He immediately bolted up and began pacing.

"H-He said that he knew what happened… to me… what my father did… I begged him not to tell Penelope… She thinks I'm just an average banker… no powers or nothing…"

"What happened with you and your father?" I whispered.

Herman threw his hands up in the air.

"He took me to a hospital for the mentally challenged! He said….He… H-He said I wasn't _normal. _I begged him to take me home. He _left_ me there." Herman spat.

My heart quickened at Herman's harsh words. I knew he was getting upset too quickly, but I was sure I could handle him. He could start at the beginning. That's where Batman had messed up. He had to be eased into Cane by sequence.

"I-I got out after 2 years of shock therapy. _2 years_. I found Penelope at Star City. She was completely average…. Exactly what my father would've adored. But… she had a smile just like yours…" He paused and looked over at me. An almost hysteric smile played on his lips.

I inhaled sharply.

"Not as beautiful as you, though. She didn't shine… no, no_ glisten_ like you did. But I loved her anyway… and _Cane..._"

I jumped as the lights in my room flickered. I looked over at Herman in panic and noticed the fierceness in his eyes.

"Herman…" I cooed softly. But he ignored it.

"He came in and ruined _everything_. I-I-I remember him just walking in and demanding that I come with him… with…w-with him without a f-f-fight…" He began to pace again and hit his head as he tried to remember.

"Herman… please." I whispered.

"Then… he said he _had_ you… I-I-I couldn't…. I couldn't believe it… I-I-I had always…._always_ protected you… Remember, Leila?... I had to keep doing it…. They took…. Took me… B-b-ut you… you… _**weren't**. **there**._"

The lights went out and back in within seconds. I stood in panic. Something was wrong with Herman. His misplaced anger about that night was resurfacing along with the fresh new feeling of his old powers coursing through his veins. He was out of control.

"Herman!" I shouted.

Herman stood in one place and kept hitting his head. I ran over to him and grabbed his face. I forced him to look at me.

"Herman! Listen to me… it's ok! I'm here now. Penelope is safe." I repeated this twice. I could feel his heartbeat slow and his eyes fluttered as his angry energy subdued. He leaned his head in and I put my forehead against his.

Our breathing was even but Herman's was more severe. I continued to hold his face in my hands. Suddenly the door to my room slid open. I looked up and Dick stood there with Mal Duncan at his flanks. At first his face showed panic but it quickly transformed to accusation. I rolled my eyes and tried not to fall as Herman slumped to the ground. I released my grasp on his face and walked over to Dick.

"Lights flickered. Everything ok?" He asked though his eyes were still on Herman.

"Well, Batman's triggered his powers. They were dormant after all. But he's got so much built up anger that's laced with it: his father, his fear of Batman, his abuse with Cane-…"

"Losing you…" Dick finished.

I looked up at him. His eyes were still on Herman. I had not realized before how territorial Dick was. Though it wasn't the right time to show off his manhood, I did find it rather attractive. I ran my thumb across his cheek.

"Yes. Losing a _friend_ was also traumatic for him. We'll just have to take it as it comes. This is the first act of his powers so tonight will probably be the worst. I'll give him some calming strategies and we'll work on it. But tonight, he needs to rest."

"I've got a room waiting for him already. Mal here can take him."

Hearing his name, Mal tipped his imaginary hat at me with a smile and went to help Herman up. I watched as Mal left keeping Herman up. When the doors slid closed I exhaled deeply. I then went over to my bed and plopped down on it.

Dick smirked.

"Tired?"

"This _has_ been a pretty tiring day. Wait… no… scratch that. This a been a tiring _life._" I joked dramatically.

Dick chuckled and climbed on the bed also. I looked over at him as he lied peacefully on my bed.

"Gosh… you know what? We need to do something fun." I complained.

"Like what? Kicking bad guy ass isn't fun?"

I snorted.

"No. Richard."

I put on a satisfied smirk at his obvious flinch of the name. Then he sighed.

"Don't make me regret telling you."

I faked hurt.

"You shouldn't! I wish I had a secret name to keep from you. Hell I don't even have a super hero name."

Dick shrugged, close his eyes, and put his hands behind his head.

"So get one."

I rolled my eyes at his enthusiasm. I smiled and climbed on top of him so that I straddled him. Dick's eyes shot open at this new position. I smiled and looked down at him.

"Now that I've got your attention. _Help_ me."

Dick gulped.

"W-With what… exactly?" His eyes lingered on my lips.

"With a _name_ Boy Wonder." I laughed.

"Oh jeez. I'm not good with that stuff…" He sighed rubbing his eyes.

"Yes you are! Nightwing's pretty sexy and you came up with that."

He stopped rubbing his eyes.

"You think my name is sexy?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Oh yes. Now what about me? Batgirl said Destructionista…" I recalled.

Dick stifled his laughter. I playfully hit him.

"Don't take name advice from her. She had the chance to create her own name and she came up with… Bat_girl_… not original."

I nodded in agreement.

"Well M'gann said Armina…" I trailed off.

Dick frowned in thought. I knew he was still upset with her.

"Why that?" He asked.

"It means universal." I stated the fact.

Dick shook his head.

"Naahhh too… complicated."

I sighed dramatically.

"I'll just have to settle with 'Nightwing's Chick' then." I smiled.

"See?! That one's a keeper!"

I laughed, leaned down to hover over him, and kissed him softly on the lips. I rose up again in thought.

"What could my name be…" I wavered.

Dick sighed and sat up so swiftly that I barely moved. Now I was straddling his lap. He crossed his legs Indian style so that I was sitting in the hole of his legs.

"How about Element? It's completely simple and gives us an idea of your power."

I thought it over.

"Ugh. Why didn't I think of that?" I whined.

Dick laughed and put his hands on my waist.

"So Element… the girl wonder?"

My face twisted in disapproval.

"Just Element."

Dick smiled in agreement and brought his lips to mine.

I didn't see Herman at all the next morning. Which was fine because he needed all the sleep he could get after all the energy he used the other night.

I had misplaced anger myself. So Cane had _tricked_ Herman. I was also angry at the fact that Herman had never forgotten about me but I had not been as careful.

Yes I had misplaced anger. And it was instantly placed on M'gann.

She was sitting, eating lunch with Lagoon Boy in the common room when I stomped over and slammed my hands on the counter. Both of them jumped and looked up. In fact, everyone in the room directed their eyes towards us.

"Well, Herman has his powers back…" I started.

M'gann did not make I contact with me. Instead Lagoon Boy spoke.

"Well that's good news. I can't imagine someone stripping me of my powers-…"

"Ooooo the power to become a huge green blowfish, what an honor." I hissed at Lagoon Boy. I instantly heard light coughing from who I knew was Conner as he tried to stifle his laughter.

Lagoon boy's eyes narrowed but I shut him up. I turned my attention back to M'gann.

"Do you know what's laced with his powers, M'gann? Anger. And lots of it. You had _no idea_ what he's been through and yet you and your Gandhi of an uncle decided 'What the hell, I'll take a wack at it'." I knew that I was being extremely harsh towards M'gann but my frustration and anger were at such a high level: that and the fact that I had considered her a best friend.

"Leila…. I'm so sorry. I was just trying to help…" she whispered ashamed.

"Well you didn't. You made things _a lot_ more complicated than they had to be."

"Hey chill, Leila. She was following orders." Lagoon Boy insisted.

I glared at Lagoon Boy for a long moment. Just as I was deciding on whether to burn him alive or smash him like the little creep his is, Conner's hands wrapped around my arms.

"Let's go calm down, shall we?" He mumbled into my ear.

I thrived to get out of his super human grip. Though I couldn't move, I could still talk.

"You can handle your powers about as well as I can handle mine! But I don't go around invading people's mental privacy!" I shouted as Conner drug me out of the common room.

He carried me all the way to his bedroom door. Then, he finally let me go.

"Ugh!" I shouted jerking away from him.

"Leila you've _got_ to calm down. What's done is done. No need to go mental on M'gann every time you see her."

I glared at him.

"You just don't want me to hurt your precious ex's feelings." I accused.

Conner sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"You're impossible."

"You didn't see him last night, Conner. He's so emotional and confused." My voice softened.

"I was too when I didn't know what was going on. And look at me now!" Conner tried to put on a winning smile but it looked way too forced.

I rolled my eyes.

"Oh gee, now my hopes are _real_ high." I sighed.

"Just give him time, Leila. It was only one night."

I knew that he was right. But I yearned for Herman to be ok again. I groaned and knew that I had taken it too far.

"Finnnee." I whined knowing what I had to do.

M'gann's room was as girly as I expected. When the automatic doors opened, there was a lot of… pink… The overwhelming smell of perfume almost made me choke. I saw M'gann floating in the air, meditating. She looked rather peaceful given the tongue-lashing I just gave her. With her face so calm, I could see her younger features.

I coughed lightly to get her attention.

That small cough sent her to the ground from broken concentration. I ran over to help her up.

"Thanks." She groaned rubbing her butt. After a moment she realized it was me and fixed herself.

I sighed and looked around for a place to put my eyes as I spoke. I found the perfect spot on her little pink lamp that sat on her desk.

"M'gann, I'm sorry for being so angry at you-…"

"You have every right…" She insisted.

I looked at her and my eyes begged her to shut up while I was talking. This was not easy for me. She closed her lips and I finished.

"You are… a really good friend of mine. So I felt betrayed when you were doing potential harmful things to my friend. But you followed Batman's orders… and he can be pretty persuasive." I smiled a little.

M'gann giggled.

"Tell me about it. Look, Leila, everything I did I did with care. I didn't move things too far. His memory loss is only temporary. I thought the faster we found information. The faster we could help you…" she trailed off scratching her arm.

I smiled realizing what genuine friends I had. I reached and pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks. But next time, let's not dig through people's brains." I laughed.

M'gann laughed also, fully relieved.

The doors sliding open suddenly interrupted us. I turned to see, to my surprise, Herman standing at the door. Behind him was Dick, looking somewhat concerned. I released M'gann and looked from Dick to Herman.

"W-What's going-…"

"I remember now." Herman said, his eyes widened with realization.

I looked at Dick again.

"What do you remember…?" I asked stepping closer to my old friend.

His eyes stayed glue on me as he recited what he knew.

"Cane thought I was knocked out…. But I woke up… in a lab… He kept saying 'She's perfect… She's perfect…'…. His doctors kept injected him with some syrum… once he fainted…. Another time his heart beat stopped but the docs revived him."

I swallowed as I took in this information.

"He's getting meds of some kind…?" M'gann asked aloud.

"And she has to mean Leila…" Dick pondered.

"If they were meds, their data was one I'd never seen… so many… symbols." Herman's eyes looked up at the ceiling in thought.

I gasped. _Symbols_.

"The chemical equations." Dick and M'gann said together.

"That's all I remember…" Herman trailed off.

My mind was overflowing with this new information. Dick and M'gann began to talk amongst themselves as I processed this. Cane was injected himself with the reactions to the equations I had found in Asimov's mansion. The same data he led me to. There was a reason he wanted me to have that data… he wanted to trigger something in my memory. There was a link between Cane, those equations, and me. I _knew_ the link but I couldn't find the answer… it was locked away in my head.

_In the corners of my mind…_

"M'gann…" I said. Instantly, and terrifyingly knowing what had to be done.

Dick, M'gann, Herman looked up at me. I glanced over at Dick. The look on my face set his to a frown. M'gann glanced at both of us almost to afraid to ask.

"What?" she asked softly… regretfully.

I sighed but held my head up high.

_This was the only way_

"I want you to pick through my mind."


	15. Chapter 15

I had never seen Dick as angry as he was at this moment. I had expected this type of reaction from him. What I was considering was, in fact, insane. Which I probably was… but I once I had put Herman back in his room and realized that he'd be ok, maybe mind tampering wasn't as bed as I thought.

"_Hell. No_." Dick repeated for the 4th time. The other 3 times had been in M'gann's room with a much darker, louder pitch. This one was still seething, but with a hysterically calm voice in front of Batman, Team members, and some Leaguers. He and I were face to face with a ring of onlookers as I tried to get him to understand its urgency.

"You always tell me to look on both sides of things. What about now?" I said lowly.

Dick looked away in disgust. He couldn't believe I was comparing. Then M'gann spoke.

"I-I can't bring myself to do this to you. You said yourself that mind tampering is dangerous." M'gann came in from Lagoon Boy's side. I turned and looked at her, desperate for someone to understand.

"I know what I said, M'gann. But what choice do we have? Cane is going to start _killing_ people. We've got a lead that he didn't anticipate. We can't just leave it-…"

"So I'm supposed to just let you take a risk like that? Risk every… memory…" Dick stopped, realizing that people were watching, and fixed himself, "As the leader, I refuse to allow this."

My patience was wearing thin. Didn't they understand? We could _end_ this with just tapping into my head. I couldn't let this opportunity get away. No matter the cost of my life. I was ready to be done with Cane.

"You must've forgotten, _Nightwing_. I'm _not_ a member of this team or this League! I came here for answers. And I'm finally getting them. I'm going through with this whether you like it or not." I spat.

Dick's eyes gleamed with intense anger. I turned from him and looked at M'gann.

"Either you're with me or I can find someone else. Maybe that Simon guy I've heard so much about?" I tested her.

She flinched at the name. She looked over at Dick and back at me. Finally she nodded.

"I'll do it."

"M'gann!" Dick shouted hysterically.

"Then it'll be done this afternoon." I said over him. I turned to Batman.

"You'll know more by tomorrow morning." I told him.

Wonder Woman stepped out from behind him.

"Be careful, Leila. We want Cane but not at your expense."

I swallowed knowing that that may not be a choice. But instead of revealing my fears, I nodded. I then looked back at Batman. For a split second, his eyes flashed to Dick.

"I'll come back and check on you. To see how things went."

Green Lantern, Black Canary, Red Tornado, and other Leaguers wished me luck as they left to go back to the Tower.

I sighed and turned to the friends I actually lived with. Cassie was the first to reach out and hug me.

"You've got balls, Leila." She said in my ear.

I laughed and hugged her back. Batgirl hugged me along with Bumblebee, Mal, Blue Beatle, and even Lagoon Boy. You would've thought I was going to war. I looked back at M'gann. I walked up to her and grabbed her shoulders.

"It's gonna be fine. See you this afternoon?"

She looked everywhere but Dick's eyes. She nodded and Lagoon Boy led her out.

Dick left without another word and I didn't expect him to say anything. Instead, I went back to Conner's room with Beast Boy.

Beast Boy immediately hopped on Conner's bed and sighed.

"Nightwing was going crazy, right? You'd think he was your boyfriend or something!" Beast Boy laughed.

"Or something…" Conner mumbled looking me over. I lost his gaze and threw a pillow at Beast boy.

Beast Boy laughed, turned into a monkey, and caught the pillow. I rolled my eyes and sat at the desk chair and spun around.

"You sure you wanna do this?" Conner asked finally. I looked over at his face. His eyebrow was raised in suspicion. I sighed.

"Well of course I don't _want_ to. But imagine how much we could learn if M'gann just took a peak…"

Conner put his thumb and first finger on the bridge of his nose in thought.

"We just got angry with her for doing the exact thing you want her to do. Doesn't make sense, Leila."

"I don't want anyone else being tampered with against their will. I'm giving M'gann permission to search all she wants. This could help us!"

"But at what cost?!" Conner's voice rose.

Beast Boy turned back to his normal state. I sighed. No one understood how much I yearned to be rid of Cane.

"It's a chance I'm willing to take." I countered.

Beast Boy climbed off the bed and walked over to me.

"I'm behind you all the way, Leila. As long as you come back the same."

I knew I couldn't make that promise but it meant a lot that Beast Boy stood behind my decision. I smiled and kissed his cheek.

His green cheeks lit a rosy red.

"Ummmm the other side kinda cold…" He trailed off.

I giggled and kissed his other cheek.

"My lips are kinda chilly-…."

I laughed and playfully pushed him away. I then looked over at Conner who was grudgingly staring at the both of us. After a moment's stare, he finally sighed.

"I guess I'm ok with it too. Just… don't let her do it for too long." He pleaded.

I smiled and ran up to hug him. He easily picked me up as my arms slid around his neck. He placed me down softly. I looked from Conner to Beast Boy: my two original friends who liked me before anyone else. They were one memory I refused to let M'gann touch.

After their approval, I knew that there was one more person I needed to talk to before going to M'gann.

I hadn't been in the training room for a while. But seeing Dick practice, made me want to train more often. He was so slick, stealthy, and fast. His punches had a killer hook. His glides were simple yet graceful and his kicks were packed with agility. Dick was an amazing fighter.

I watched him as he punched the punching bag, ducked from invisible swings, and took undercuts. His movements swiftly became faster and harder. I watched as the bag swung higher in the air only to come back with a stronger force to push it back. Finally, Dick gave it one, sharp jab and the 170 lb. punching bag flew into the air. I gasped at the impact Dick must've had. After the loud thud, all I could hear was Dick's heavy, frustrated breathing. He fell to the ground, brought his knees up, and rested his arms on them. For a moment he just stared at the punching bag; his breathing still heavy.

"I'm fine now. I punched something." He said aloud.

I smiled a little and stepped from the door. I walked over to him and sat by his side.

"You didn't just punch something. You destroyed it."

Dick wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm. He then hung his head.

"I don't know what I'll do if something goes wrong." He admitted.

The tone of his voice was so soft, so vulnerable. I didn't know how to respond.

"You're not even my boyfriend and you're getting this protective?" I joked.

Dick looked over at me with a lost expression. I sighed and placed myself in the same spot as the day on the roof: right between his legs.

"I'm not going anywhere…" I reminded him.

He shook his head.

"What if you forget… me… us…"

I was surprised by this new take on things. Dick was afraid I'd _forget _him? I hadn't realized that I was so important to him. His feelings for me had built up just like mine. Though he had been much better at hiding it.

I sighed.

"Do you remember when you first found me?" I asked.

Nightwing looked at me confused.

"Yes." He said.

"Well… I fainted…I'm sure you remember. I was out for days. And after only a couple of seconds of seeing you, with all the chaos around us, I remembered every line and feature of you face. You floated in my dreams. Your intense stare, your voice ran in my ears. That was only after _seconds_ if seeing your face. I honestly don't think it's possible that I'd forget you, Dick. I know it's not."

Dick's face rose into the most brilliant smile I'd ever seen on him. And, for the first time, he didn't flinch when I said his name aloud. The intense stare of admiration that was in his eyes took my breath away.

Swiftly, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me to him. His lips smashed into mine so passionately, I felt dizzy. He softly nibbled at my bottom lip and I gratefully allowed him entrance as I slightly parted my lips. His tongue danced with mine and traced the patterns of my upper and lower lips. His lips then moved down to my single bottom lip as he clasped onto it. I moaned in response. He then eagerly moved his lips to my neck. As soon as his lips moved from mine, I gasped in pleasure.

He tilted back so that I was on top of him, straddling him like before. His ease in handling me made me even more passionate. His hands made their way up my shirt as he massaged my back when his lips found mine again. We were entangled in each other until he finally lifted me up and sat himself up again so that we were back where we started.

My breathing was staggered and my heart was beating rapidly, but Dick's face was calm and pleasant.

"For your memory box…" He stated softly touching my lips with his thumb. I sighed and nodded furiously.

"Yea… Sure as hell not letting M'gaan touch this one…" I joked.

Dick laughed fully. It sounded so boyish and playful. His voice echoed in my ears. The best laugh I'd heard, hands down. I was so overwhelmed with admiration that I laughed too. After he laughed he put my face in his hands.

"Come back to me just like this, deal?"

"Deal." I smiled and his lips brushed against mine again.

"I _hate _hospitals." I stated as M'gann got situated.

I was lying on the bed with Dick, Conner, Beast Boy, and Lagoon Boy watching over us.

M'gann had meditated up until this moment trying to 'ready' herself for this moment. I, on the other hand, spent my moment entangled in Nightwing's arms.

I smiled at the thought.

"Ok… so I guess we better get started…" M'gann stammered.

I groaned and sat up to look at her.

"Ok, no one would want you to scavenger their brain with that tone. I trust you M'gann. Just a quick peek. Ok? It's going to be fine."

M'gann, confidence momentarily regained, nodded.

I looked over to my boys and winked. I then placed myself back on the bed.

"Ok, Leila. Relax your mind…" M'gann mumbled.

I closed my eyes and tried to relax my mind. But I couldn't help but think about how uncomfortable these bed sheets were. You'd think the Justice League would want comfortable sheet since they stay in here so often. And how did Dr. Fort get so lucky as to become a doctor for the justice league? He must not have a family cause he has to stay here and be alert at all times. Does he have a room here? Had someone checked on Herman since this morning? Was he still sleeping? I should have…

_My eyes suddenly shifted open. For a moment, I didn't realize where I was. But this ward was so familiar… how could I forget? I sat up and looked around the room. But no one was there… where was M'gann? Dick? Connor? Garfield?_

_ I snorted at Beast Boy's name. I would never be able to call him Garfield._

_ **"I'm in"**_

_ "M'gann?!" _

_ I had just heard her voice echo around the room, but she was nowhere to be seen. I sat up and got out of bed. Only when I stepped onto the floor did I realize that something was terribly wrong. My feet didn't touch the ground. I couldn't feel the ground._

_ I thought about what M'gann's voice had just echoed. She was in… which meant she was inside my head probably. And, apparently, so was I. Maybe if I could find M'gann, I could help her find what we were both looking for. _

_ I floated over to the door and opened it. _

_ There, waiting at the door, was Beast Boy with a hand full of roses and a cheesy smile on his face. Though shocked at first, I laughed and tried to grab the roses but my hand went right through them. I looked at Beast Boy and his face was exactly the same. I cautiously tried to put my hand on his face but it went right through. This time, Beast Boy and his hand full of roses disappeared._

_ "Weird…" My voice lingered. I walked through the door and looked at both sides of the hallways. Both were long and dark._

_ I decided to go to the right. As I floated down the hallway, whispers followed me._

_ "Come back to me…. Back to me…" Dick's voice pleaded._

_ Panicking, I turned trying to find his face. I didn't care if it was real or not. His voice was so pleading just like it had been in Cane clutches. I turned behind me and there he was. A small shadow was cast over his eyes. He smiled nonetheless and held out his hand for me. I reached out to grab it but my hand went right through. His face was still pleasant. He stepped forward and kissed my lips but I felt nothing. I closed my eyes to savor the tasteless kiss, but when I opened them again, he was gone. _

_ I turned back to walking feeling a chill go up my spine. I looked through windows of similar wards. I saw Batman having surgery with bat doctors and Superman and Superboy getting laser eye surgery. None of this made sense. _

_ But my eyes caught the shadows on the wall. One shadow was moving swiftly down the hall. I floated and followed it. It turned corners and went in and out of empty wards but I followed it. Finally, we reached the end of the hall and the shadow went straight through the last… black tiled door. Just like the one at Asimov's mansion. I began to cough as my lungs thinned and my heart sped up. I stopped for a moment and sucked in some air to calm my beating heart, but it did not change. I decided to tough it out and began walking toward the door. But the closer I got to it; the faster my heart beat sped. I began inhaling and exhaling deeply to catch my breath. I finally grasped onto the doorknob. It took all the strength I had to open it. But once I did, my body began to react horribly._

_ Heat began to rise in my veins, my heart beat was literally beating out of my chest, my lungs pulsed swiftly for air, my hands trembled as I tried to find the shadow that had led me here. The darkness that surrounded the room made it so difficult to see. Suddenly I began to hear whispers. The madness made it even harder to breath. I knelt to the ground, held my ears, inhaled as much air as I possibly could, and exhaled a deathly scream. Like ants, the darkness shifts away from me and away from the shadow I had been looking for. I watched as it hovered over a small, white box. Slowly but surely, the shadow transformed into M'gann. I watched in horror as she touched the top of the box._

_ As soon as she touched the lid, something grasped onto my heart. I felt as if my chest was going to explode. I could feel the tight heartbeats that were begging to escape. _

_ "No!" I gasped hysterically._

_ M'gann turned and finally saw me. Her eyes widened in horror._

_ "Don't open it!" My voice was no longer my own. It was deeper, more demanded. I reached out for M'gann but instead, fire released from my hand._

_ I heard her scream and disappear. The deathly grasp on my heart lifted and I watched as the darkness swallowed the little white box and slowly made its way back to me. _

_ But I was too tired to fight it. I was too tired to run…_

Dick watched anxiously as M'gann put her hands to Leila's head. His heart jumped when both of their eyes lit blue.

After moments of silence and anticipation, M'gann said the magic words.

"I'm in." She said simply. But those were the last words she said as she dove deeply in Leila's mind.

Lagoon Boy sighed and relaxed himself.

"It's all smooth sailing from here on." He chuckled.

Everyone in the room turned to glare at him.

He shrugged.

"What?"

"Shut up, idiot." Conner said lowly.

Lagoon Boy eyed him but kept his mouth shut.

Dick stood and began to pace. He stopped and looked over at Leila and M'gann and began to pace again.

"How long do you think this will take?" He asked,

"We know as much as you do." Beast Boy sighed resting his chin on his hand and moving his position on the window ceil.

Dick didn't like this feeling. He didn't like feeling so helpless while the only girl he really cared about was lying in bed getting her mind tampered with. He didn't like not being in control. He couldn't protect Leila now… and that just didn't sit well with him.

Conner sighed.

"I'm going to go get M'gann and Leila water…" He said.

"Why?" Lagoon Boy asked suddenly.

Conner raised his eyebrow and shrugged.

"They may be thirsty when they get out… or up… or whatever." Conner said dismissing the idea.

Lagoon Boy immediately stepped up.

"I can get M'gann some water…" He offered aggressively.

Conner, already on edge, sized up to Lagoon boy.

"I've got it." His voice was low.

"I know what you're trying to do. You go get M'gann some water, she wakes up to you offering it, and she falls for you all over again…" Lagoon Boy accused.

Conner looked at Beast Boy who was nearly falling asleep then Dick who was too busy pacing. He then rolled his eyes and looked back _down_ at Lagoon Boy.

"You're insane." He said turning to leave. But Lagoon boy grabbed his arm. Conner jerked around with his free arm in a tight fist.

"I suggest you remove your hand."

"Or what?!" Lagoon Boy tested.

"Or I'll knock your head off."

"She doesn't want you anymore," Lagoon Boy's voice lowered, "She moved on."

Conner grabbed Lagoon Boy's wrist and twisted it lightly which was enough to harm Lagoon Boy.

"Ahhh! Neptune's beard!" He cursed. He then raised his fist to hit Conner but Conner grabbed it mid air. Both struggled for the upper hand.

"Are you two _seriously_ doing this right now?" Dick boomed. His loud voice woke Beast Boy up, and caused him to fall on the floor.

"W-What did I miss?"

Everyone ignored him.

"He started it!" Conner claimed.

"I don't care who started it. Just end it. They could get up at any moment-…" Dick's statement stifled by a loud scream.

The boys looked over to see screaming M'gann being thrown against the wall by an invisible force.

"Starfish!" Lagoon Boy called out running over to her. Conner followed and the both helped her up.

She groaned in pain and rubbed her head. When she stood completely up, she flinched in pain.

"What happened?!" Dick demanded.

"S-She burned me." M'gann said in disbelief. Conner rose up M'gann's shirt slightly to reveal a huge welt across her stomach.

"We gotta get you some help." Conner ordered.

"No!" M'gann said pushing the two boys away, "We've got to pull Leila out of there!" M'gann staggered back to an unmoving Leila. She put her fingers to her friend's head and frantically closed her eyes.

"Come on… come _on…"_ M'gann mumbled to no avail.

"M'gann what's going on!?" Dick panicked. M'gann began to explain while she continued to try to make a link inside Leila's mind.

"L-Leila… S-she got in… she… she followed me. I found where the memories were but … she freaked… Come _**on**_…" M'gann pleaded.

"What do you mean freaked?" Beast Boy asked urgently.

"W-Whatever… whatever she's forgotten, it's because her mind refuses to let her remember. Too painful physically, mentally, and emotionally. I tried to get in and her mind went on the defense, majorly…." M'gann tried again but could not reach her friend.

Tired and hurt, M'gann slumped to the floor and Lagoon Boy attempted to hold her. Conner knelt down to get M'gann.

"I got her!" Lagoon Boy shouted.

"No you don't! Now either we can fight about this and not help M'gann, or we can get her to Dr. Fort."

Lagoon Boy grudgingly let Conner carry M'gann out of the room.

Dick watched them leave, speechless. Then he ran over to Leila's side.

"Leila! Leila can you hear me! Leila please wake up…" Dick pleaded.

"I'm going to call Batman and Manhunter." Beast boy offered and sprinted out of the room.

Dick grabbed onto Leila's hand and pleaded into her ear. But she did not reply. He could barely hear a heartbeat.


	16. Chapter 16

_Hey Guys!_

_I know I've been popping out a lot of chapters in the past couple of weeks but I'm just really enjoying writing this! I would like to thank EVERYONE who has ever commented! Some of you are even awesome enough to comment on every chapter! THANK YOU! I just love to read your comments and they really do give me the drive to keep writing and writing. So please don't stop! If you ready my story then **comment**! With that said, I want to give you all an official warning. I leave for school on Friday which means SAS will have to take a backseat for school. This ** does not** mean that I won't ever post a chapter again, but it means that I can't pop them out like I've done this week (Due to being at home all week). I will try to get out at least one chapter a week though. So don't fret! Now go enjoy the chapter and comment! _

_MeechieNikole_

* * *

Dick had never felt this helpless, this angry, this lost. How could he possibly forgive himself?

_I should've told her no… I should've been more aggressive… I've should have told her exactly how I felt._

He stood up from the chair and walked to the window, trying to escape his thoughts. But they were tethered to him.

"Could you clam down, you're making me nervous." Manhunter said calmly.

Dick looked over at him in dismay.

Manhunter had his fingers on Leila's head. He had had his fingers on her head for about an hour now. The tension was driving Dick mad. How could he expect him to be calm?

Leila was _barely_ breathing.

Dick rubbed his temples and slid against the wall. He brought his knees up and rested his arms on them and put his head down.

"Worrying yourself isn't making anything better." Batman voice added from the far corner in the room.

Dick looked up at his mentor. He knew Beast Boy thought it was best to call Batman, but he secretly wished Manhunter had been the only one notified.

"You can't possibly expect me to be calm…" Dick said in disbelief.

Batman's eyes narrowed.

"I can, however, expect you to keep an even head."

Dick looked away from him, his heart racing to tell Batman how he really felt.

"We can't all be as mighty as you." He mumbled.

But Batman did not respond.

Within the hour, Conner, Cassie, and Barbra had visited. M'gann had been patched up and given meds. Even she came in to check on her. Not without drowning Dick in apologies first. But the funny thing was, Dick did not blame M'gann at all. He didn't even blame Leila.

He blamed himself.

He was the leader and he was Leila's… well… He was Leila's… nothing. Nothing because that's what he had chosen. But he knew that she was so much more than a 'nothing' to him.

Why hadn't he told her?

He had had so many chances. _So many…_

He stood up when Manhunter's fingers left Leila. His heart quickened when Manhunter gave a long exhale.

"What?" Dick asked stepping closer to the bed.

"She's… lost…" Manhunter said giving Batman a side-glance. Batman stood also.

"What does that _mean_?" Dick asked.

"Her brain shut itself down after M'gann tried to break in… She's in there somewhere but I can't get her out-…"

"Why?!" Dick asked exasperated.

Manhunter sighed and stepped away from Leila.

"She… her brain… won't let me. She has to find her way out…"

"And how long will that take?" Dick asked.

"Given that she does… I'm not sure-"

"So there's a chance she won't?" Dick felt his lungs collapse.

Manhunter turned to Batman.

"There's a greater chance that she will. We just have to let her find her own way." Batman added.

Dick was speechless. And as Manhunter and Batman left, his words still found no way to his lips. He looked over at Leila's still body. Pain gripped him so intensely that he had to look away. But as he looked away, her essence haunted his mind. He could remember every moment with her from the moment he first saw her when he pinned her against the wall 'til the moment she was wrapped securely in his arms.

_"…I don't think it's possible that I'd forget you, Dick. I know its not."_

Dick jerked his head back to Leila. Her laughter felt like whispers in his ear. He looked away and made eye contact with the table of medicine sitting in the corner. Without hesitation Dick walked over to it and flipped it over. The loud clash of tools hitting ground echoed around the room.

_"Have you ever been in love?"_

Dick quickly kicked the mess on the floor, sending it flying to separate walls and breaking more things.

_"… I remember every line… You floated in my dreams…"_

Dick found his fists inside the wall. He pulled it out and watched has blood dripped out from his glove and hit the floor. It didn't take long until strong arms wrapped around his body. Dick jerked to separate himself from the arms but they were stronger. Dick knew it had to be Conner.

"It's going to be, ok." Batman's voice huffed over Dick's shoulder.

Dick stopped writhing. Somehow, though they had been on edge, the voice of his long time mentor calmed him. It wasn't the first time Bruce had to save him from himself. Bruce's arms had been wrapped tightly those horrid nights when the nightmares of his parents would be too unbearable. As much as Dick tried, he couldn't help but be vulnerable. Though he wasn't blood, Bruce had been the only father figure Dick had. This was just another moment. And as long as it was just Bruce, Dick felt comfortable with being vulnerable. After all, there weren't that many people he could be honest with.

* * *

Everything seemed so dark now…

_ Everything was so dark now. I could feel it. But I didn't dare open my eyes._

_ If I opened my eyes then I would have to face the very same darkness that swallowed M'gann._

_ But I had been laying here for so long… so long. I just wanted to lie here, in this fetal position, forever. I was so tired._

_ My heartbeat still seemed to be off its rhythm. My veins pulsed with pain of lost oxygen. _

_ How long had it been since M'gann disappeared? _

_ I groaned at the look she had on her face right before she left._

_ **What a horrible idea.**_

_But I had to leave. Herman was probably looking for me and Beast Boy had probably lost his mind and Conner was normally angry and worried and Nightwing…_

_ "Dick…" I whispered into the darkness. My voice bounced and rolled off the walls that hid in the darkness._

_ I told him I would come back to him…_

_ But I was so damn tired._

_ Just a little while longer…_

* * *

_** Get up!**_

_ My eyes shot open and a striking pain rushed up my spine. I cried out in pain. Feeling woozy, I sat up and didn't know if my eyes were open or not. There was no difference._

_ But something or someone had forced me up; Somewhere in the darkness._

_ Whispers began to erupt like a herd and head straight for my ears. Voice I hadn't heard in what seemed like forever shook my eardrum: Dick, Phil, Herman, M'gann…. Cane…_

_ I covered my ears and tightened my eyelids. How long had I been here?_

_ **Long enough…**_

_The voice was back. I opened my eyes and searched the darkness for its owner. But the voice was so familiar… so soft…so calm._

_**Get up and fight…**_

_ How? How was I supposed to fight when I was still so tired?_

_ **You're not tired… you're scared**_

_ I shook my head in disbelief._

_ **He is waiting…**_

_** '**He' could be so many people… Who?_

_But the voice did not reply. The whispers stopped and I was alone once again. Who was the voice? And whom was the voice referring to?_

_ I cradled my knees to my chin. It had to be Cane. He was waiting to take me and destroy anyone who got in the way. I could not find the strength to fight or resist him anymore. I had tried everything…_

_ Or maybe the voice meant Dick…_

_ "**Come back to me like this, deal?"**_

_I felt my heart swell at the memory of his smooth lips and his secure grip. I had made him a promise and I was not keeping it. I loved him and he deserved to know that._

_ An overwhelming feeling of resolve washed over me. I had no reason to be afraid of Cane because I had friends and loved ones now. They were something I never knew I needed. I was not facing Cane alone… I would never be alone again. _

_ I stood slowly and tried to get used to standing again. As I steadied myself, I began to float again._

_ Whispers began to erupt from all over me but I did not cover my ears. I could see the floor light up with every step I took. Finally, I reached the side where M'gann had disappeared before my eyes. The wall splashed into a magnificent white and there in the corner was the small white box. _

_ I felt my chest tighten from oxygen and just stared at the box. _

_ I needed to open it. But now was not the right time._

_ No matter who 'He' was… Cane and Dick were waiting on me. It was about time I kept my deal…._

* * *

The lights were so bright as I opened my eyes. So bright, in fact, that I raised my hand to cover them. My other hand was surprisingly occupied wrapped in someone else's. I tried to focus. But it was difficult. My head was in pain. I slowly turned my head to the left and right…

Ugh… I hate hospitals.

I sighed and looked at the bundle of jet-black hair that laid beside me. I smiled weakly and sat up.

_Dick_

I lifted my hand from his hand and ran it through his hair. A heard a low gruff that surprised me. Dick never gruffed like that…

"Conner?" I croaked.

Slowly, Conner sat up and wiped his eyes. Disoriented, he stared at me for a moment. I watched him carefully as he processed that fact that I was awake. His face set in a mixture of different emotions: sleepy, indifference, confusion, and disbelief. I had never seen Conner smile so unbelievably hard. His striking blue eyes lit up like lighting. I couldn't help but smile also, no matter how weak I felt.

"LEILA!" He boomed so loud and there came a crash from the other side of the room.

"What'd I miss?!" Beast Boy shouted, recovering from his fall. He had also been asleep. He looked over at Conner and I had wiped his eyes in shock.

"Hey guys…" I said weakly.

Beast Boy hopped on the bed and hugged me so tightly I felt myself not being able to breath.

Conner picked Beast Boy up by his collar and placed him in the floor. Then it was Conner's turn to embrace me.

"We thought you'd never wake up!" Beast Boy said excitedly.

I laughed and sighed.

"It was difficult…"

"What happened to you?" Conner asked, his face turning to sadness and concern.

I shook my head.

"I… I was following a shadow… I saw M'gann about to open a box… but the closer she got to it, the more pain I felt… So I reached out to tell her to stop, but fire came out and… and I burned her…Please tell me it was a dream…" I trailed off. I looked up at my friends and their heads were down.

So I hadn't been in a dream. I sighed and massaged my temples.

"Is she ok?" I asked.

"Oh yea! She recovered a long time ag-…" Beast Boy started but he was stopped by Conner's glare.

I looked at them both suspiciously.

"She's fine." Conner finished, not taking his eyes off Beast Boy.

"Good," I sighed.

Conner's attention finally went back to me.

"What else happened… after M'gann?" He asked.

I squinted my eyes to remember.

"I slept… a lot. And when I woke up I would just hear whispers…. So I slept more…. I was too tired to move…" I recalled.

Conner sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Where's D-Nightwing?" This question had played relentlessly through my mind since I realized that Conner was not Dick.

"On a mission…" Conner said cautiously.

I nodded, a little shocked that Dick wouldn't want to be by my side. I swallowed my bitterness.

"And everyone else?" I asked.

"Same… It was Beast Boy and my turn to watch you…" He admitted.

I looked at them curiously.

"We didn't want you to be alone if-when you woke up." Beast Boy allowed.

I smiled.

"You guys act like I was out for a long time or something." I joked.

But their sudden silence made my heart stop.

"Guys…" I trailed but my voice got lost. I had slept in my dream… but for how long?

_Just a little while longer_

My eyes widened.

"Guys!" My voice rose.

"Beast Boy, go get the rest." Conner said.

Beast Boy glanced at me but nodded. He left the room without looking at me again.

"Conner…. W-w-what happened to me?"

Conner sighed and sat back in his seat.

"Nightwing is usually here… but he couldn't stand to see you like this day in and day out. So he started to go on more and more missions. Just to get out…"

I could feel my heart racing. This was not good…

"And Herman nearly lost himself. We had to giving him sleeping pills. He stays in his room mostly. And M'gann's been such a wreck…"

"Conner…" My voice broke.

Conner looked away and I watched as a single tear slide down his cheek. I gripped the side of the bed so tight I could feel the loss of blood.

"We began to lose hope. But Nightwing… he wouldn't let us…"

"Conner… how long was I…" I stopped.

Conner sighed and finally looked me in the eye.

"3 months."


	17. Chapter 17

Heeeeeellllllllllloooooooooo o SAS fans! Oh how I missed writing! But the first week of school was somewhat hectic. Things will be more ordered once I get my schedule down. But anyways! I know I left you all with a HUGE cliffhanger and you had to go about your lives for a little over a week wondering what was going to happen. Well I'm so sorry it took me sooo long. But I did warn you, right? lol Well no more waiting! All of your questions will be answered! OH and I have a question for you all out there... Nightwing and Leila (ahem... Element.) have a steadily growing relationship. So what do you guys think about sexual descriptions in the story. If too many of you are offended then I will definitely leave it out. But if you would like juicy details on Leila and Dick's intimate life... let me know! Make sure you tell me! ENJOY!

* * *

If fighting were a drug, Dick would be an addict.

It's not that he went out for every 'fix' when he could. He would be patient and wait for the right time… the right enemy to destroy. It wasn't a type of addiction that harmed anyone; in fact, he had been on more missions and saved more lives in the past 3 months than he's ever had all year. But fighting those villains, being able to destroy _their_ hopes and dreams of 'ruling the world' etc made him feel _good._ All of his frustration would pack into one punch that would send The Penguin flying or make The Joker's head spin.

Yes, fighting was his therapy.

But it was also his escape.

Dick hated The Cave now. Every room reminded him of her. Everything reminded him of her. He couldn't even sleep properly in his bed because her scent still lingered. It was painful there.

So Dick became a machine. He slept as little as possible until he was so tired he would pass out into nothingness. But when he was awake, he would scope out Gotham and Star City more than their original super heroes. And when those nights past and he leapt from rooftop to rooftop in the glistening moonlight, he would sometimes forget what…who… was in the back of his mind.

Of course he would visit Leila. He saw her face everyday. But it was unbearable to continue to see her in that hospital bed. She didn't move or speak or even blink.

"We're almost home." Miss Martian announced as the hovercraft took a smooth right turn.

Dick tightened his eyes and opened them again. He was almost dead. He knew that there were probably huge black circles around his eyes that his mask hid so well. They (M'gann, Lagoon Boy, Robin, Batgirl, and Nightwing) had just destroyed another on of the infamous plans of The Brain. But the real test would come has soon as they landed in that horrid Cave.

Dick tightened his grip on the armrests.

No one replied to M'gann's announcement. But then again, people rarely spoke when Dick was around now. Mostly because they knew that his reply would be short or non-existent. He knew that his emotions were on his sleeves for the last 3 months because he had taken it the hardest (Besides Herman who just stayed in his room and M'gann who would always find a reason to leave the room when Dick entered). His fighting techniques were angrier too. He would dominate as many enemies as he could, even if it meant getting in his comrades' way.

Dick did not want to go back… not again.

As the craft slowed and lowered, Dick had a great plan. He would make up an excuse to go to Gotham City (Harvey Quinn and Ivy on the loose again and Batman needs help. Yea… good one) and leave immediately. Then we could just go to his loft and sleep it off. The plan was fool proof. And if that fell through… then he would tell them that he's going to check up on Roy at Star City, just to see how he was. Now _that_ would definitely not fail since everyone knew of Roy's instability.

There was a small jerk as the craft landed. Dick stayed still as everyone unbuckled their seat belts and left the craft. Finally, when Dick was alone, he exhaled deeply. A familiar pain slowly crept from his fingertips, through his veins, and too his heart. He gasped at the feeling and released his grip on the armrests.

His ears perked when he heard a high-pitched scream come from inside The Cave. Feeling another way to exert his anger, Dick jumped up and ran out of the craft that was placed in the garage and went for the door.

When he walked through, he noticed everyone was huddled in a circle around…

"Beast Boy?" Dick called out.

Beast Boy looked over at him in surprise. Dick glanced over at M'gann who was in the corner with her mouth covered and tears streaming down her eyes. She had been the screamer.

Something was wrong.

Dick's mind went straight to Leila. It had been Garfield and Conner's turn to watch over her. Dick had made the schedule himself. Dick made his way passed the people who voluntarily made a pathway. When Dick reached Garfield, his face was set in stone.

"What happened? Where's Leila?" He asked immediately.

Suddenly Herman stepped out from the crowd. Dick's heart stopped. Herman never left his room. Dick looked back at Garfield. Slowly, a wide, unbelievably excited smile appeared on his face. And for a moment, a shimmer on hope was restored in Dick's heart.

But it couldn't be. It just couldn't be.

But Garfield said it. He said the very two words that Dick had dreamt and prayed about.

"She's awake."

* * *

I couldn't feel my legs, no matter how spirited Conner was.

"Come on, let's try one more time." Conner said happily.

I had never heard his voice this upbeat and excited before. But his excitement made me yearn to get on my feet again.

I looked down at the floor as my feet dangled around in circles. Conner was sitting next to me, just waiting for the 'ok'.

I sighed dramatically and held my arm nearest him out.

Conner gratefully took it and wrapped it around his arm once again. I inhaled deeply and pushed myself off the bed again. I immediately wobbled and almost fell to the ground if it wasn't for Conner's hold on to me. He was like a rock, keeping me steady as I tried to steady myself.

Finally, after an intense moment of imbalance, I stood straight and still. I smiled widely and looked up at my dear friend.

"Perfect!" He shouted happily. He slowly removed his hand and walked over to the door and stood next to it.

"Now walk to me." He said confidently.

I sighed.

"I'm tired." I whined.

Conner just chuckled.

"Come on, you can do it."

"No… I can't." I argued.

"You just need motivation. What would get you to walk over here?" Conner questioned.

Suddenly, the door burst open in such a loud and dramatic way, I almost fell to the ground again. But I steadied myself and focused my attention on the door.

Dick stood in the doorway. His eyes wildly played around the room for a split second until they landed on me. For a moment our eyes locked as his adjusted to mine again. His face swam with disbelief and uncertainty. And as we took each other in, I had an overwhelming feeling that I really hadn't seen Dick in a while. I could tell because I had never wanted to feel his lips against mine so intensely before. And as if the intensity was some kind of steroid, I took one, wobbly step forward. Step after step, waling became easier. But my eyes never left Dick's. Before I knew it, I was only a couple of inches away from him.

The warm scent of vanilla and sweat overwhelmed me with dizziness. I closed my eyes and shook my head to steady myself. Then I opened them again and his face of disbelief turned into such a warm, wonderfully magnificent glow that I had lost my will speak.

But there was no need to. I wasn't even able to open my mouth before Dick swept me up and pulled me into him. His lips crashed into mine so fiercely that my eyes rolled to the back of my head. He had never been this desperate for a kiss before. His tongue swept past my lips and I parted them. Then he really dug in, his hands moved to my face as he cupped it delicately. His tongued danced with and massaged mine. His lips then lightly pressed to mine in small butterfly kisses. Finally, we parted.

Realizing we had an audience, Dick and I looked over at Conner.

His eyebrow was raised and his arms were crossed.

"…Goooooodddd timing. Mr. Motivation." He complimented.

I smiled and hit Conner on the arm.

It didn't take long for everyone to come and hug me and cry and all that jazz. I even saw Herman who seemed as if he'd been in a daze since my… nap. But once Dick could have me alone in his room, he overwhelmed me with kisses.

"I thought you weren't coming back…" He murmured desperately against my neck. The vibration made me shudder with pleasure. I groaned in response.

"T-Trying to focus here." I pleaded.

Dick chuckled and moved away from my neck. I sighed with relief and smiled. The dimness of his lamp in the corner was the only light we had. But I could still see his gleaming eyes.

"I'm sorry it took me so long…" I trailed off looking away. Dick brought his fingers under my chin and forced me to look at him.

"Better late than never. I missed you… so much."

I took his fingers from under my chin and rubbed him against my cheek.

"I missed you too… You brought me back actually…"

Dick raised his eyebrow.

"Oh really? Tell me what happened in there."

I sighed trying to recant what happened.

"I woke up in the hospital…but I could float…I saw you but you disappeared right before me…I followed a shadow… it turned out to be M'gann and I burned her on accident… then I got really tired and slept… a lot apparently… then a voice told me to wake up…It told me 'he' was waiting on me… So I found the strength to get up and leave."

"Was 'He' Cane?" Dick asked darkly.

I nodded slowly.

"I thought that at first. But then I considered our deal… That I'd come back just the way I am. You were waiting on me too. Which is what got me to get up…"

Dick's small frown brightened. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer.

"Way to go me." He mumbled softly.

I smiled and touched his mask, smoothly slipping my pinky underneath to feel his soft skin. In a second, Dick removed one arm to grab my hand while the other held on tightly to my waist as he placed me on my back. He then slithered his arm from around my waist and put it next to my head to hold him up.

"The mask stays…" He whispered, pecking my collarbone. I rolled my eyes in annoyance and pleasure.

"At least…. Here."

This statement made me pause.

"_Here?"_

I looked up at Dick and his face broke out into a sly smile.

"Wanna take a road trip?" He asked.

Slowly, a smile broke onto my face also.

* * *

Dick led me all the way to the central control room. He had a tight grasp on my hand and I followed him until we stopped in front of a large, circular machine. I had seen so many people come in and out of this portal before. But I had never had the chance to experience the sensation.

"I've got a surprise for you." He whispered into my ear.

I shivered at his warm vibrations and watched as he walked up to the portal. Immediately a scanner analyzed his body. After a couple of seconds, a female, electronic voice erupted.

"Recognize Nightwing B01."

Dick turned back to me and winked.

"Come here." He said holding out his hand.

I walked up to him and took it. Suddenly a green light surged up and down my body. The voice sounded again.

"Recognize Element B20."

I gasped in excitement and fascination.

"Phil helped me out with it. He and I never lost hope that you would wake up. He'll be so happy to see you tomorrow…" Dick murmured in my ear.

I couldn't speak for a moment, which led Dick to get the wrong impression.

"….I know 20's a high number but… it was the next in the sequence..-…"

I stopped him with a passionate kiss on the lips. I finally broke it and murmured against his lips.

"I love it."

We walked through the portal together and it sent us to a dark alley in Gotham City.

Though no one was around, the darkness and silence gave me shivers. Dick released my hand and went to the nearest corner. He pulled a key out of his utility belt and pressed button on it.

There was a small beep response and, out of thin air, a beautiful red and blue motorcycle appeared. Though I was deeply impressed, I simply put my hands on my hips.

"Show off." I smirked. I went into my pocket and pulled out my mask that Dick had told me to bring and put it on my face. I then followed Dick and climbed on the bike. I wrapped my arms around his waist and put my chin on his shoulder.

"Where to, Nightwing?"

Dick smiled and started the engine.

"My second home."

So we drove past the dark streets of Gotham. I watched as many thugs ducked into the darkness as we sped by. But I held on tightly, embracing his scent that the wind blew my way. We finally reached a sewage way and automatically lowered itself as Dick sped close to its lid. He popped a wheely and jumped into the sewage. I held my breath from the smell that I was sure would come but the inside of the sewage line smelt fine. I exhaled and tried to brace myself for whatever was to come.

I finally saw an inclined ramp lower itself. Dick slowed as we drove up the ramp. When we reached the top, I realized that we were in a living room. Dick slowed and came to a complete stop. I looked around at the rather large, open area. To the right, was a large window that over looked all of Gotham City.

"Welcome to my loft." Dick said climbing off the bike.

As I looked around the clearly expensive loft, Dick grabbed my waist and pulled me off of the bike.

"This is insane." I whispered looking around and taking off my mask. Dick stayed in the background as I took in the parts of the loft I could see.

There was a kitchen. It was small but had marble counters and expensive utilities like the refrigerator and dishwasher. Next to the kitchen was the room we were currently in, the living room. All the furniture was black leather and the walls were a deep navy blue but they shined as the full moonlight dance through the large window. And to the immediate right of the living room was a long, glass dining table with black leather chairs.

I felt Dick's presence behind me.

"It's kinda small. Just a couple more room down the hall." Dick mumbled pointing his head behind him, to the left.

I smiled.

"Well I wanna see." I held out my hand.

Dick gratefully took it and led me to the back. There, in the hallway, he showed me his bathroom, his study, and, finally, his bedroom.

It wasn't as revealing as his super alter ego's bedroom in The Cave. The walls were the same shade of navy blue as in the living room and the bed was a huge, king size. Against the walls, surrounding the bed, were bookshelves. I silently walked up to them to view their content.

Of course there were many books about history, theories, and stories. And there were even awards that Dick had seemed to have won.

"Just some middle school achievements." He called after me. But he stood back and allowed me to look.

Then… there were pictures…

The first picture I noticed as in a large, brilliantly gold frame. In this picture, there were 3 people: A man, a woman, and a little boy. All of them were smiling and wore rather peculiar outfits. But it wasn't until I noticed an elephant in the background that I realized that these people had to be a part of a circus. The man and woman seemed to be smiling triumphantly as they wrapped their arms around the boy. His face was glowing so radiantly it made my heart stop. But my heart also stopped at the familiarity of his smile.

I quickly looked back at Dick. He was watching me very carefully. When he saw my question of approval, he smiled and nodded. His nod forced me to grab the frame off the bookshelf and stare at it intensely.

It was Dick… but younger. _And those were his parents_

I smiled at the fact that the whole family was wearing masks.

"You wore these things all your life, huh?" I said turning to him and pointing at the mask.

Dick smiled but I could see a glint of sorrow in his eyes. I looked back at the picture, realizing that there was _so much_ about Dick that I had yet to know. Yes, I knew Nightwing inside and out; from his movements to his technique. But I was just now scratching the surface of who was under the mask.

I placed the frame back carefully, noting that Dick would talk about his parents when he was ready.

I moved on to the next picture frame. This one was of a young man, a young woman, and a teenage boy. They seemed to be at a park somewhere and were smiling from the fun they were having.

I looked first at the young man. I knew that it was Dick just from the radiant smile he showing. But I was not mentally prepared to see him without his mask.

I stared at his face for a moment before reaching out and picking up the frame. I found myself studying his upper facial features desperately. I wanted to remember them always. When I was finally able to take him in, I smiled to myself and looked over at Dick. His smile was much brighter while watching me look at this photo than the other.

I looked back at the photo and focused my attention on the other two in the picture. The woman had fierce red hair that seemed to be flowing in the wind. But her almost mischievous smile it was made me gasp.

"Batgirl?" I whispered, looking over at Dick for confirmation.

Dick nodded.

I looked back at the picture and studied batgirl's face. She was beautiful. But if Nightwing and Batgirl were in the picture then that meant that that little boy was….

"Robin." Dick and I said together.

I chuckled and put the frame back on the shelf.

There was one last picture on the shelf.

In it was two men. But I knew who both of them were. Dick was on the right his electric blue eyes radiant and intimidating at the same time. And the older man next to him was _the_ Bruce Wayne.

I knew him from t.v. and media alone. He was a multi billionaire orphan who owned Wayne Enterprises. Uncle Phil would always praise Bruce Wayne's funding for scientific research.

And there Dick was, standing there with Bruce's arm wrapped around him in a buddy to buddy style.

Then I noticed something…. Bruce Wayne's jaw line was square and strong, just like someone else's I knew…

I gasped and stepped back.

All of these people on Dick's shelf had been of utmost significance. What significance would Bruce Wayne have that connected to his parents… and this super friends?

"_Batman_?!" I hissed with my hands hovering over my lips. At this moment, Dick walked up next to me.

"Hard to believe, right?" He said sarcastically as he also stared at the photo.

I nodded silently, trying to wrap my mind around this new information. Not giving me any time, Dick stepped in front of the picture and me.

"Leila, I wanted you to see this because I want you to know me… Richard Grayson. When you were…. I-I-I realized how much _time_ I wasted denying you… denying myself of what I really felt because I thought it would be best for The Team. But you are the one thing that I yearned to have more than anything. Not just has Nightwing but as Dick. And anyone you feel that strongly about shouldn't just be a part of part of my life… but my whole life. Both sides. Nightwing and Dick…."

He stopped and touched his mask.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

Dick stopped and looked at me confused.

"Taking off the mask. You said you could never fully fall for someone who's face you've never fully seen-…"

"Oh I know that! But I think _I _should take it off. I deserve to, don't I?"

Dick's face relaxed and he put his hands down.

I seductively stepped closer to him and touched the tip of his mask with one hand. I waited for a moment, so used to his hand attack my wrist. But this time, they did not move. I looked down and watched his chest move up and down as he staggered his breathing.

This was very difficult for Dick. He was allowing himself to be vulnerable besides that of what he had been taught since he began to fight crime. He was doing something Batman never wanted to do… or _could_ do. He was letting me in…

My lips stretching into a wide smile as I looked back up at his face, my hand still touching the tip of the mask.

"What are you waiting for?" Dick whispered, his voice unsteady.

I looked over at his lips and felt his breathing on my face. I instantly pressed my lips to his. He was a little shocked by my movements but wrapped his arms around my waist. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to take in this passion.

I wrapped my free arm around his neck as he lifted me up slightly into the air.

Finally my hand pulled the mask off of his face and let it fall to the soft carpet below us.

Though I could feel the extent of no barriers between us, I did to move or open my eyes.

This kiss was way too amazing to let go of.

Besides, I had waited this long to see him…. I could wait some more.


	18. Chapter 18

There was something about waking from a pleasant dream. No matter how softly and subtle the awakening was, you always want to linger in remnants of that dream.

Well I kept my eyes closed long after the sunlight that dipped through the curtains and into the room awoke me.

My dream was very simple. It was Dick.

The moment we broke from our kiss, I saw exactly whom I had fallen for long ago. His magnificent ocean blue eyes bore into my own. The naturally perfect shaped eyebrows accented the strong, square jaw that I loved entirely.

Yes, I had seen the real Dick Grayson.

And he was beautiful.

So beautiful, in fact, that I'd much rather lie in whatever bed I was in and dream about the unveiling of his face. I would rather memorize his new features than try to remember what had happened after the kiss.

All I could remember was falling gracefully onto his bed with his hands cupped under my head. I could remember the cooling sensation his lips brought to the base of my neck down to my stomach. Yes… how could I forget that?

But from there, it was somewhat mystery.

I opened my eyes and squinted as I allowed myself to get used to the sunlight beaming at me. I was stared out a beautiful window that was covered with royal blue satin curtains. I smiled to myself.

I was still in Dick's room. Which meant…

I slowly turned over to see Dick lying, face up, with one arm off the bed and the other under his head.

My heart quickened when I noticed that Dick was bare. Not just on his face (lack of mask), but his chest.

I forced myself to not speak and just take in that a half naked super hero was lying next to me. I bit my lip as my eyes gazed at his chiseled, tan skin. His six pack was so defined I wanted to knock on them.

I couldn't help but giggle like a little girl.

The little girl in me was also curious of what was under the covers. Could it be possible that Dick was… completely nude?

I held my breath and slowly crawled closer to him. I used my thumb and pointer finger to lift up a little bit of the blanket that covered below his torso. I peeked inside and, of course, he was wearing pajama pants.

"What are you doing?" Dick asked suddenly.

I jumped out of my skin and crawled back to my side.

Dick chuckled and turned to his side so that he could look at me. I crossed my legs Indian style and looked back at him.

It was just Dick Grayson. No suit and no mask.

It felt unbelievably refreshing to be sitting in such a vulnerable position. I felt a smile appear on my face. But there was still that question of what happened last night. I think my long-term nap had caused short term memory loss.

I eyed Dick and smirked.

"What?!" He asked sitting up. He muscles flexed involuntarily. I closed my eyes and shook my head to keep from staring at them.

"Did we… ya know…" I egged on.

Dick eyed me, confused.

"Did we what?" He asked back.

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.

"Did we… have… sex…?" The word sounded so weird coming from my mouth I almost thought I sounded foolish.

Dick stared at me for a moment and cocked his head to the side.

"You don't know if we had sex or not?" He said the word with such ease but I still cringed.

I managed to nod.

Dick burst out into laughter. Though I'm sure he was laughing at me, his laugh was so nice to hear, I couldn't help but smile. He crawled from his side over to me. He placed both hands on either side of me and put his nose against mine.

I felt my heart speed up at the sudden situation I was in. Not only was Dick passionately close, but also we were on his bed.

"Trust me. If we'd had sex, you would remember it." He murmured softly onto my lips. I exhaled as his lips pressed against mine.

I hated how cocky he was being but my mind couldn't help but wonder about the possibilities. In just seconds, Dick snatched all my pleasant thoughts away as he got off the bed. I watched as he walked over to the bookshelf on the other side of the room. This one seemed pretty dull, filled with books.

Dick gazed at the seemingly worthless bookshelf for a moment and then smiled to himself. He then turned back to me.

"I'm going to shower. There's another bathroom down the hall to the right." He stated.

I smiled and nodded.

But Dick not move, instead, his eyes stayed glued on me. An amazingly bright smile played on his lips. Within seconds, he hustled back to the bed and lifted me to my feet.

I stared at him waiting for some type of reason why he was being so… weird. But he continued to stare at me.

"You're freaking me out, Boy Wonder." I finally stated softly.

He chuckled and softly rubbed his thumb against my cheek. I watched him carefully as he did this. He was staring at every line of my face; studying it just like I had done to him many times before. I watched his eyes as they slowly sparkled like glass.

Like tears.

I was about to speak but I lost my will in his eyes.

"I thought I would never see those eyes again…. That smile…" He stopped short.

I continued my silence. I knew that, for Dick, expression was very different. I mean, look who raised him. I knew that he wanted to say and do so much more. I also knew that I didn't have to. He'd done more than enough.

He let me in.

"I made you a promise." I blurted.

Dick chuckled and nodded.

Finally, he regained his composure and pulled himself out of his stupor. He dropped his hand and stepped closer.

I felt the heat of his bare chest reflect on me. I inhaled sharply as he cupped my face in his hands and kissed my bottom lip.

I stood still for a moment, allowing him to suck and tease me, but I still remained frozen. He broke the kiss and moved up towards my upper lip.

I clinched my fists together, remembering this part of our festivities last night. His hands parted from my face and slipped under my shirt and gripped onto my waist. At that moment, I jolted back to life. I stood on my toes and wrapped my arms around his neck.

I could feel Dick smile within our kiss. He slid his hands down to the back of my kneecaps and picked me up without hesitation. I gasped into our kiss in surprise, but wrapped my legs around his waist.

My hands found his face as he continuously I gave him butterfly kisses from his lips to his cheek to his neck. As I did this, he moved us to the bookshelf and pushed me against he. I felt a small, rugged moan part from his lips as I sucked the base of his neck. I lifted myself from his neck and found his lips again. He lowered his hands to my butt to lift me up higher. My hands ran over his broad, moist shoulders and twisted their way down his chest and torso. My fingers jolted up and down as I felt his abs.

Everything was a blur. My mind was no longer working, but my body knew exactly what to do. I tried to focus has his lips massaged my earlobes but I could not focus. His lips traced down to my neck and then a little bit lower. I squealed loudly and Dick stopped to laugh. I couldn't help but laugh too, though I was short of breath. He placed me back on my feet and kissed my forehead.

"You'll be the death of me, I swear, Leila." He breathed.

I smiled and shook my head.

"You started it."

Dick was about to say something when his communicator when off. His once pleasant face shifted to intense. He flew past me and grabbed the device.

"Nightwing." He stated, putting the small black phone to his ear. I had not noticed how much of a difference there was between Dick's voice and Nightwing's.

He listened intently. I suddenly watch as his face became a look of hysteria and then serious.

"Be there soon." He turned off the device and tossed it on the bed.

"Who was it?" I asked intently.

"Mal. Take your shower. We need to leave." He said so quickly and in such an orderly manor, he no longer needed the mask for me to think of him as Nightwing.

"B-But I don't have any clothes-…"

He walked to the dresser at the front of the room and opened the bottom drawer. He pulled out a lime green shirt and some fitting jeans.

They definitely belong to a female.

"Barbra left some clothes over here some nights." He handed them to me.

I stared at them in horror and then looked up at Dick with the same expression.

"She would sleep over after late nights on patrol. They're clean. We've got to go."

He left the room hastily and left me alone to contemplate on whether to believe his story or not. Batgirl had been in his house… in his room…. In his bed?

I dragged my feet to the extra bathroom.

I sat the set of clothes on the counter and stripped myself naked. I then stepped into the shower and allowed the water to spray over me.

When I was finished, I dried off and grudgingly pulled on Barbra's old clothes. As I made my way towards the bedroom, I heard Dick's voice in a soft mumble.

"Yes, we're coming…. She's changing…. No I haven't told her… Yea…I'll see you there, Barbra… bye."

I was against the wall outside of the room and counted to ten before walking in to make sure I didn't seem like I heard. Clearly he had been talking about me but I was going to wait until he told me what was going on.

I watched as Dick pulled on another different Nightwing costume though same in style. He clipped his utility belt around his waist.

"Everything ok?" I asked unsteadily, hoping he would confess the issue now.

Dick didn't answer at first. Instead, I watched him as he pasted the mask to his face. The sudden drop of my heart surprised me. He was Nightwing again.

"We should get going." He replied stepping past me.

I bit my lip but followed him to the living room. He mounted the bike and handed me my mask. I took it and toyed around with it for a minute.

"So we're going back to barely knowing each other and being mysterious?" I whispered lowly.

Dick didn't hear me over the sudden rumble of the bike's engine.

"Come on!" Dick shouted over the roar.

But my feet stayed planted on the ground. The roar of the bike overwhelmed me, but not enough to make me forget that there was something Dick wasn't telling me. And I much rather handle it alone just us two than in front of The Team. Dick cut off the engine and glared at me.

"Is there a problem?" He asked aggressively.

I was surprised by his tone. Was this the guy that had just had his lips traveling my face and neck?

"I overheard you." I stated clearly.

Dick waited patiently.

"You have something to tell me." I hinted.

Dick's face fell but he recovered quickly.

"We'll talk about it back at the Cave-…"

"I can't do that, Dick-Nightwing…" I admitted.

Dick climbed off of the bike and walked towards me. I didn't know what had come over me, but something was not right… I could feel it.

Dick's aggressive face softened.

"Get on the bike, Leila… please." He begged. His voice had turned from angry to… empathetic.

My heart dropped. Something was terribly wrong.

"Dick… what happened? Is it Herman? Is he ok?" I pleaded frantically.

Dick massaged his eyebrows and exhaled. I automatically felt my heart race faster.

"Dick please… What did he do? Where is he? Has Batman spoken with you? Herman can't be by himself… and he can't be with Cane again-…"

"It's not Herman, Leila…" Dick finally looked dead into my eyes.

"T-Then what is it?" I breathed.

As I read his eyes, I noticed a glint of pain and sadness swim over them.

"It's Phil, Leila. He's dead."


	19. Chapter 19

_SURPRISE! Hey everyone! So I know what you all are thinking... "OMG ABOUT TIME! WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?!" and some other... more profane words lol Well, my computer broke down! Which meant all my data was lost including my Chapter 19 to SAS so not only did I have to get my computer fixed (Ranging in the $350-$400 amount) but I had to start the chapter alllll the way over. Well this took SOME time cause I still have school. And although I still don't have my computer back, my lovely parents (Thank them!) bought me an ipad with a bluetooth keyboard for typing my stories (Plus they read how desperate you all were to read more). So here we are! Once again! I just wanna say thank you to all my fans that have STAYED fans through this difficult transition from macbook to ipad:) and to all the new fanatics of my story (Yes, I've been reading the comments) WELCOME AND THANKS! And again I am sorry sorry sorry sorry for how long this took! (3 months right? Ouch)! Enjoy!_

_-MeechieNikole_

_"There was an explosion at his office." _

I had never felt this numb before.

It felt as if every part of my body was frozen in the thick sense of depression and disbelief.

Phil… dead?

That wasn't even a possibility.

It was not a choice.

Phil _could not_ be dead.

But that's what everyone kept saying. Their voices surrounded me like a cloud of smoke, suffocating me with the sound of his name.

"What's our move?" Nightwing asked darkly to Batman. He stood next to me in a protective manner, but I still couldn't feel his presence.

"We find Cane-" Batman countered.

My eyes flickered to his dark figure.

"He's not dead." I mumbled.

Everyone in the room focused on me. Some were shocked about my denial. Other were shocked I spoke at all. I felt the heat rise in my veins, my chest swelled, as I went on the defense.

"What?!" I growled stepping from Nightwing and looked at the room full of super heroes and sidekicks.

Their pitied faces and blank expressions flared a beast inside me.

"He's not dead! It's not possible! Phil wouldn't leave me!-" I yelled out loud and reason with myself at the same time. Batman stepped forward.

"Leila…" He started reaching out to grab my shoulder. I shrugged him away from me and stepped back.

"This is all crazy. I know Phil. I've known him my whole life. He would've found a way out. He would've countered the fumes. He would've-"

"Leila, stop. We have to accepted that-" Batman started but a strong gust of wind threw him back into a machine with a loud crash.

Everyone gasped and waited for an outcome. I felt a familiar hand grab my hand.

"Leila! Calm down." Nightwing ordered.

I snatched my hand away from his.

"Don't tell me to calm down! Phil is not de-"

"THEN WHERE IS HE?!" Batman growled so loudly it shook the place.

I looked over at him. He was holding his side in pain and glaring at me. I looked at everyone around the room. Not one of them was Phil. Phil would've been here in a heartbeat.

But he's not.

Because he's dead.

The realization sunk in and a strong pain crawled over my body. Before I knew it, shouts could be heard as the floors cracked above the earthquake. I could hear the muffled voice urging everyone to leave, but I collapsed to the ground and allowed my power to show its strength.

He had done it.

Cane had done it.

He had taken almost everything that I had ever loved. He had killed the one person who knew all my secrets. I was alone. I closed my eyes tightly as a burning sensation seeped through them. Everything that I had been through was because I had been running from Cane. Well he had finally done it. He had finally played the ace card.

"Leila!" Nightwing's voice boomed over the loud clutter of wind and earth.

I drowned his voice out as Phil's voice rung in my ears. His laughter rushed into my heart. I finally felt the warm tears spill out of my eyes. Just as they did so, Nightwing grabbed onto my waist and held me tightly. I didn't not push him away or accept his embrace, I just cried.

Slowly, the winds calmed and the ground was still. Nightwing, breathing heavily did not let me go.

"I know it seems… like there is no one else. But you are not alone, Leila. You aren't." He mumbled softly. My mind reverted to the night before. How tenderly Dick kissed me. I longed to go back to the night, though it seems so many years ago. Then I remembered my panicked curiosity of knowing that Barbera's clothes were at Nightwing's loft. I jerked away from him and stood.

"Yes. Yes I am." I stared at him.

I then looked into the crowd and found Batgirl's nervous face. I ignored the glares and stares and walked up to my room.

I didn't want to see anyone. Not for a while. And I didn't. I stayed locked in my room for a week. And in the early mornings, I would sneak into the kitchen to eat, only to trap myself inside my room once more. Garfield nor Connor bothered me. And I was grateful for that. I was not in the mood to speak or listen to anyone. I knew that I was alone and I wanted it to stay that way.

As the next week drew in, I started to plan my departure from Mount Justice and my surrender to Cane. But, as I lied on my bed, contemplating the best and worst scenarios, my bedroom door slid open. This surprised me, seeing as that no one had even bothered to see me for a little over a week. I turned over to see Conner and Garfield walk in with Wolf at their side. The large animal placed itself in the corner and laid down. Garfield turned into a little monkey and fell into my lap. I couldn't help but smile at how cute he was.

"How are you holdin up?" Conner asked sitting next to me.

"As well as could be expected I guess. I don't think I'll ever get used to him not being here."

There was a long term silence after my statement.

"Nightwing been itching to come see you. But I told him to back off." Conner stated.

I smiled awkwardly. Nightwing and I had more tension than Phil's death to deal with.

"M'gann too. And Barbra. We all... really miss you." Garfield hoped off my lap and changed back into his normal evergreen self.

"I know." I replied softly. More silence.

"We're gonna get him, Leila. You know that right?" Garfield stated. I sighed and laid back on my bed.

"We've been saying that for months. And look what's happened. I can't allow anyone else to get hurt or... or worse for my sake."

"What are you saying then?" Conner asked, though he was dreading my reply. I waited, contemplating on telling them. But I gave in, knowing that it was my decision. No one else was getting involved anymore.

"I'm leaving." I sighed.

Silence.

"What?!" Conner thundered.

Garfield and Wolf jumped a little at his tone but I remained calm and confident in my decision. I looked up at Conner who glanced at Garfield. They were having a private conversation. I sat up, trying to read their minds. Suddenly, Garfield transformed into a hummingbird and flew out of the room as fast as possible. I immediately knew what conversation they had had.

"No one is changing my mind. Not even Nightwing, Connor." I told him.

"Wanna bet?"

I sighed dramatically and laid back on the bed.

"Why would you even think of doing something like this? After all we've done-"

"Exactly! After all you've done trying to shelter me and protect me. Look what good it's done?! Look who died! I'm not gonna sstick around and wait for Cane to kill you or any one of my friends."

The doors suddenly slid open and Nightwing, M'gann, and Batgirl rushed in with Garfield at the heels. Frustration grew rapidly inside me as I sat up. I hadn't seen these people in over a week and here they were trying to convince me to stay.

"Leila, what the hell is this I hear about you leaving?" Nightwing demanded. I yawned and laid back on the bed. My action stunned Nightwing into silence.

"Leila, you can't leave! If you do, Cane will have won!" M'gann tried to reassure. I sat up again and leaned against the wall.

"Then what do you suggest I do, Miss. Mighty Martian? Let you rack through my brain for answers? Cause that worked so perfectly last time!" I hissed.

M'gann hushed herself.

"Leila!" Batgirl called out in shock.

I looked over at her then looked at Nightwing.

It took all I had not to bring up the suspicions I had for the two of them.

"This won't solve anything..." Garfield whispered out. I laughed almost too hysterically. I could tell by the look on their faces that many of them were concerned for my sanity.

"It will solve everything! You all will be safe and I will have never existed-"

"You think it's that easy?" Conner shouted, "You think you can just walk into our lives and then sacrifice yourself?"

My mocking smile turn into a slight frown. They didn't understand.

"I have nothing now. Phil is dead and my past remains some foggy mystery that even my mind won't go back to. I am ready to get this over with. All we've been doing is stalling! Give Cane what he wants! The pain and suffering ends then!"

"_**No**_." Nightwing said darkly and desperately.

Everyone looked at him. As if he had given a silent command, each one of them, including Wolf, left the room. Though Batgirl took a little longer than the rest, watching both of our faces. When she finally left, I exhaled. So much was flooding through my mind right now, I was beginning to think maybe I was insane.

I looked up at Nightwing a noticed him watching me. But he stare had a cautious expression on it as if I might jump out the window. We stared at each other for a long moment.

Finally, in his last desperate attempt, Nightwing took off his mask. I inhale sharply at his sudden movement. And the sight of Dick Grayson's face made all the pain and heartache that weighed me down disappear. I tried to exhale but I knew if I did, I would burst into a fit of tears.

Dick stood there with the same cautious expression. He finally spoke in a soft but hostile tone.

"H-How could you possibly think of... of leaving me?" He said.

I held my breathe and shook my head.

"Y-You're not the same when you put on that mask," I trembled, "You don't care"

"Of course I care! I always cared! God do you realized what you did to me when you were in that coma? Do you realize how much of an impact you've had on me? I've never been close to a girl like this!"

"Except for Barbra, right?" I countered standing up.

This statement took him back. He sighed and recovered.

"Yes, Leila. Barbra and I had our flings. But that's all they were! This?! This is... is killing me. I've never wanted so badly to save a girl and run away from her at the same time! I've never fought between what's right and what feels good so much before. You'll be the death of me, I swear!" He admitted.

I watched him as he inhaled and exhaled heavily.

"You can not come here, make me fall in love with you, and then try to commit suicide. I know Phil died, I know it hurts. I know." He begged stepping closer to me.

My mind went immediately to the picture in Dick's room with the two adults and him dressed in circus outfits. I finally exhaled.

"You've got to trust me, Leila. I'm never going to leave you. I refuse to. But you've got to promise me you won't leave me either..."

I looked away from his eyes and to the ground. I could feel warm tears brimming around my eyes. Dick grabbed my fce with both hands and forced me to look at him.

"Promise me." He pleaded, I could hear the trembling in his voice. I nodded my head and allowed the tears to flow.

Dick picked me up and placed me on the bed. He then held me for hours as I cleansed all the pain and suffering out of my system. And I cried. Which was good... for now... But my next task...

Is to kill Cane.


	20. Chapter 20

_The best apology gift I can give you for taking so long to write more chapters is... MORE CHAPTERS! I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!_

_-MeechieNikole_

A loud crash was heard all over Mount Justice as a huge, green gorilla was slammed into the wall of the training room. After a moment of dizziness, the gorilla roared and pounded it chest.

It then began charging for it's target. But I just smiled and stood my ground.

"Steady..." Nightwing mumbled from the sidelines,"Steady..."

Oh I loved how focused he would be on me. I looked into the gorilla's eyes as it bared it's perfectly white teeth. He was only a couple of feet away from me now.

"Now!" Nightwing and Superboy shouted at the same time.

I jumped up into a high backflip and allowed the charging gorilla to run beneath me. I landed before the gorilla realized what had happened and fired two fireballs at his back. The large gorilla roared in pain and flew against the wall.

"YES!" Superboy shouted jumped up.

Nightwing crossed his arms with a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Very nice." He commended.

I turned to both of them a curtsied. It had been almost 2 weeks since Phil died and within those two weeks, I had had a complete change of heart. I am going to fight Cane and I'm going to do it for Cane. Now, everything I did was to find and destroy Cane. I trained everyday and planned every night. My friendships with my friend were stronger than ever because I no longer tried to push them away. We were in the together, whether I liked it or not.

But seeing Beast Boy get destroy in his gorilla form made me like it alot.

"Don't be so excited, aye?" Beast Boy sighed rubbing his back.

He limped over to us in his normal, pre-teen and green form.

"Sorry, kid but she punished you." Superboy said ruffling up Beast Boy's hair.

Beast Boy slapped his hand away.

"Someone else's turn." Beast Boy mumbled as he left the training room to go find ice.

"Sorry!" I called after him. Beast Boy waved but didn't turn around.

"Now..." Nightwing started. I turned back to face him.

"What now? I've beaten Beast Boy countless times, how much more can he take?" I sighed.

"Not Beast Boy..." A confident smirk appeared on his face.

"Ugh... you?" I asked. Nightwing chuckled and shook his head.

"Nope." I eyed Superboy who was smiling also.

"Oh great! So I've got to fight a Kryptonian?! Not fair."

Nightwing and Superboy laughed.

"You're right that wouldn't be fair..." Superboy said cockily.

"Yeah, cause all I'd have to do is grab some green glowing rock and you'd be out for the count." I taunted back.

Nightwing laughed even harder while Superboy frowned.

"No it's not me." He growled under his breath I smiled.

"Then who?" Nightwing regained his composure.

"We thought it would be good for you to fight the best since you'll be against the best..." He eased in. I watched his eyes carefully and as the answer registered in my head, I could only gasp.

"Sorry I'm late." A familiar, condescending voice boomed over my thoughts.

I turned to see Batman walking toward us. I had to hold my mouth up from dropping.

"Hello, Element." He said, acknowledging that I had on my costume.

"B-Batman?" I gulped.

I turned to Nightwing and Superboy.

"This has to be a joke." I pleaded.

"No joke." Batman answered from behind me.

I sighed and turned to him.

"Let's go."

We took our positions on the training mat. I started in my beginning position while Batman stood completely still.

"Ready... Go!" Nightwing shouted.

I didn't waste any time charging towards the mask figure. I kicked my foot out to hit his jaw but, without much movement at all, Batman grabbed my leg and threw me to the ground. I grunted and stood back up.

"This isn't payback for that crash a couple of weeks ago?" I panted

"I don't do revenge." He stated, squinting at me.

"Yeah right," I mumbled running for him again. This time I threw a bunch of punches and kicks but Batman blocked them all. He finally swept kicked me and tripped me to the ground and on my back.

"Ugh!" I growled standing up again.

"Don't get angry. Stay calm and stay on offense." He coached.

Though his expertise was a pain, I listened to his words. I took a deep breathe and tried again. This time I came at him in many directions, though he blocked them all. But the last kick was a his chin and knocked him to the ground. He sat up and rubbed his chin. I was shocked to see a smile appear on his face.

"Not bad." He said.

"WHOOOOO! That's what I'm talking about!" Nightwing shouted from the sidelines.

I smiled, though still panting, and repositioned myself.

"Now... time for some fun..." Batman said standing up.

He reached into his belt and pulled out a batarang. I smiled and allowed fireballs to illuminate my hands.

"That was great!" Beast Boy bragged as I patched up the scars from the batarangs.

"When did you even get in here?" I laughed as Beast Boy attempted to act out Batman's and my fighting scene.

"After I put some cold water on those burns! I came back and you were going at it with Batman himself! It was the coolest thing ever! Smoke bombs, water whips, batarangs, rock rain! WHOOO" Beast Boy pumped his fists in the air.

I laughed and stood. Nightwing, Batman, and Superboy approached us.

"You did well today, Element." Batman noted. I smiled and nodded in thanks. Batman patted his sidekick's shoulder and left the room. As soon as he was gone, Nightwing's smile got wider. He ran over and picked me up.

"I've never seen someone fight so well with him like that! Well... besides me." He joked.

I laughed as he placed me back on the ground.

"It was fun." I smiled.

The training room door slid open and Miss Martian walked through.

"We've got whereabouts on Cane and his men." She confirmed.

I glanced at Nightwing and we immediately left the room to follow Miss Martian. When we arrive at the Central Control room, Mal, Batgirl, Robin, and Blue Beetle were waiting on us. Mal began to type away, suddenly the room was filled with a hologram if Gotham City.

"Looks like Cane's moved." Mal said as he continued to type.

"So he's in Gotham?" I asked, my eyes focused on the hologram. Suddenly the hologram zoomed in on a specific spot in Gotham. It looked like an old abandoned factory.

"He has a thing for old creepy buildings, huh?" Beast Boy shuddered.

"It's the old Timmy Toy factory. I used to hang around there," Robin admitted.

"But what could he possibly be doing in an old abandoned factory?" Miss Martian inquired.

"Well, our satellite censers give off an immense amount of chemical radiation. But in order to find out exactly what going on in that factory, we need a closer look..." Mal started.

"And that's where we come in." I smiled standing straight.

"Element, Superboy, Miss Martian, and I will head that way and see what Cane's up to. This may answer of those chemical equations on that USB port." Nightwing claimed.

Within minutes, we were on the hovercraft towards Gotham.

As we flew over Gotham city, a nauseating feeling overwhelmed me. I clinched onto the arms on my seat and inhaled. This would be the first time I came in contact with Cane since Phil's death. I didn't know if right now was the right time to kill Cane, but I knew that the closer I got to him, the more passionate my desire to end him would be.

"You ok?" Nightwing whispered into my ear.

I couldn't help but jump a little at his sudden appearance. I looked up at him and smiled.

"I'm great." I reassured him.

Nightwing smiled but I knew that I didn't persuade him.

"Target point reached. Nightwing... Element... ready for drop off?" Nightwing and I stood at our designating spots.

"Ready." We said together.

Suddenly the ground beneath us disappeared as we fell form the sky. I could feel my stomach in my throat. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply as we came closer and closer to earth. At the exactly moment, I opened my eyes and landed perfectly on my feet on the roof Timmy's Toy Factory.

I glanced over to my right and Nightwing was crouched in the corner looking at the communicator on his watch. I hurried to his side and watched the screen on his wrist.

"Ok, so the factory is full of goons from what the heating satellite is giving off. I couple of dogs too. Top floor has 3 men. Second floor more than 5. And the first floor is headquarters." Mal informed us.

"Got'cha. Keep us posted." Nightwing whispered gripping onto a part of his utility belt.

"Well do."

"Nightwing out." He flipped the screen off and stood. He then pulled out two ear pieces.

"Just in case we get separated." He said.

I nodded and took the piece. He stood for a moment and listen the silence.

"Miss Martian and Superboy should be making their way inside at any moment. We better get in."

I nodded and followed him as he opened the vent and climbed in. We climbed for a little while until we heard chuckles from beneath us. We froze and listen intently as the men spoke in casual voices.

"I think the boss is losing his mind over his girl. I mean, to be so bold to blow up a whole lab office in the center of Star City?" one admitted.

"Yeah well according to the boss, she the key to the end of the Justice League. With her, we'll be eating caviar fed by that sexy Wonder Woman-"

"Ooooo yea and Black Canary... she's a looker, man."

"You can have those girls... just give me Hawkgirl!" the last one spoke.

There was silence.

"You want the one that looks like a bird?"

"Yeah well... she looks like she can handle her own, ya know?"

There was more silence.

"Fine... then how about the Leila girl... she's pretty hot.."

"Now ya talkin! After Cane's done with her, she'll need to be bedridden permanently"

My blood boiled as the men joined in laughter.

Nightwing moved over and slowly removed the vent that led to the men. He prepared to jump down on them but I stopped him.

"Please, I insist." I whispered.

Amused, Nightwing gestured me down. I smiled sweetly, crouched right above the hole and jumped down from the vent. I felt the pressure of my heels land on top of one of the men. The other two gasped and quickly grabbed their guns. I ran for cover as they began to shoot.

"Nightwing!" I shouted.

Immediately, two batarangs knocked the guns out of the men's hands. I ran out of hiding and dropkicked one man while Nightwing uppercutted the other. I stepped back and looked at our handy work. All three men were knocked out completely. Suddenly, we heard a smash from some floors down.

"Come on!" Nightwing shouted running towards the stairs. I followed him.

We ran down the flights and made it to the first floor. We opened the door to see about 6 men floating in the air, knocked out. I looked to my right and Superboy put the vicious dogs in a large cage.

"Where's Cane!" I asked immediately.

"He's not here!" Miss Martian responded.

Shock and anger filled me.

_He's not here_

I paced over to the floating men and found that Miss Martian had kept one awake and aware though he was slumped in a chair. He had to know where Cane was. I rushed over to him and picked him up by his collar.

"Where's Cane?!" I demanded.

Sloppy but clever, the man just laughed.

"I'm not telling..." He sang. I shook him a little.

"Wanna bet?" I growled.

He just laughed some more.

"You don't scare me." He spat. I smirked, released him, and stepped back.

"Then you're dumber than you look." I closed my eyes and concentrated. Almost immediately the man howled in pain. I opened my eyes as he clutched onto the arms of his chair. He looked at me hysterically.

"H-How...?"

I walked back up to him and leaned in so that our noses barely touched.

"Where is Cane?" I demanded again.

"I-I don't know..."

"Wrong answer."

I closed my eyes and concentrated once more. The man groaned in agony.

"Element!" Nightwing called out but I ignored his plea.

"I want to know where Cane is. Now either you can tell me or I will burn your insides so much that the people 3 blocks will be able to smell BBQ." I hissed.

The men began to breath rapidly.

"I really don't know! He just told me to man the factory until he got back."

"How long ago?!" I yelled.

"Yesterday!"

"What is he doing in this factory?" I asked.

"He's trying to perfect an experiment."

"What experiment?" I continued, allowing my powers to lightly warm him again. He flinched in pain.

"I don't know! But whatever it is it isn't working!"

"How do you know that?"

"Cause he gets so angry. He's killed off two scientists because he's not getting the results he wants. He's had to be revived a ton of times. His skin is turning black from all the radiation from the machine."

I stopped to process this.

What Herman saw was right, Cane was killing himself to complete some experiment. But what was it and how was I involved?

I turned to Nightwing.

After a moment of silent communication to let him know I was under control, he exhaled and nodded. I looked around the room to a large computer. I then looked back at the man.

"Does that thing have a video camera?" The man nodded and gulped...

When we arrived back at Mount Justice, everyone was waiting for answers. I allowed Miss Martian and Superboy to fill everyone in while Nightwing and I went up to his room to ponder what we had found out this morning.

I took the mask off my face and collapsed on his bed. He unloaded his utility belt and sat in the desk chair.

"He's killing himself trying to perfect an experiment on himself..." I said out loud. Nightwing began to play with the tips of a batarang.

"An experiment that has to do with you..."

I sat up and looked at him.

"Those chemical equations... could they be a part of the experiment?" I asked.

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

"But what does that have to do with me?" I asked.

Nightwing looked up at the ceiling.

"That's what he don't know. But whatever it is, you must be an important part. Especially if he wants it so bad that he's killing himself for it."

"Yeah..." I lied back down and sighed.

I felt the bed get lower as Nightwing climbed on the bed with me. He got on top of me and kissed my lips softly.

"You were awesome today. A little scary, but awesome."

I laughed and took his mask off. He flinched a little but allowed me to see his face.

"I had a busy day. Fighting goons, gorillas, THE Batman-"

"Oh my." He chuckled.

"So what's our next move?" I whispered as he made his way down my neck and up to my cheek.

"Not our move. It's Cane. I'm sure he'll have something to say after that video you left." He laughed against my skin.

I couldn't help but feel powerful and laughed too.

Cane was in for a surprise.

_Cane hated for people to beg. And that's all Burt was doing at the moment. _

_"Please boss, she set my insides on fire. She's crazy. I had no choice."_

_He sounded like an annoying knat buzzing in his ear. He wasn't able to climb out his limo before his useless goon ran out of the building crying foul. But, annoyance aside, Cane had to deal with that fact that Leila had been here. Been in the lab. _

_Cane's fists clinched as Burt continued to explain his predicament. All his words seem to go through one ear and out the other._

_"What did you tell her?" Cane asked calmly._

_Burt stopped and began to stammer. Cane looked in his eyes and could immediately tell that this idiot had said too much. He pushed him out of the way and went straight for the building._

_The mess of the place took Cane by surprise. He looked over at his $100,000 pure bred dogs were crammed into a cage. And all his other men were still out of it. Cane wheeled around at the only person left to yell at, Burt. Cane's driver and first hand man were behind Burt, waiting for Cane's reaction._

_But before Cane could reach, something caught his eyes from the right. It was a blinking yellow light coming from the main monitor. Curiosity got the best of Cane as he walked up to the large screen. He looked at the board beneath it and pressed the button next to the light. _

_Suddenly, the large screen was filled with Leila's face. It was the desperate, cautious face he was used to seeing. She was, in fact, smirking._

_"Hello, Caney boy. Bet you didn't expect to see me here... in your lab... Nice place you got here, though. It really cozy. But that's not why I'm leaving you this message. I want you to feel that dizzy, suffocating feeling when someone comes into your life... into your privacy and raids it apathetically. You have overstayed your welcome with me. You've ruined a friend life and killed the only parent I've known. And now... now you're gonna deal with the consequences. And don't be confused, this is not a threat-" _

_Leila moved from the camera and Nightwing took her place. _

_"-It's a promise. My team, the League. We will hunt you down and destroy your plans and you. There isn't a place you can go where we won't find you. And when we do we'll get-" Nightwing moved himself from the camera and Miss Martian took his place._

_"Justice. Justice for the lives you've ruined. Justice for Herman who's suffered more than any friend should. Justice for Phil who you killed selfishly-" Miss Martian moved from the camera and Superboy took her place. _

_"-And Justice for Leila. So watch out, asshole." Superboy moved from the camera and Leila gained her place again._

_"So, you see, Cane, you've pissed off the wrong people. And therefore you will pay." She leaned into the camera with a devious smile, "We're coming for you." Cane felt his skin tighten around his fists as he clenched them. _

_"OH! And you might wanna get some coca butter for that skin condition... I heard it's pretty nasty." Leila pinched her nose, laughed and turned the camera off._

_Cane jerked around to a pale Burt. He gave his first hand man the look. Without hesitation, he broke Burt's neck. Burt's lifeless body collapsed to the ground._

_"What do we do now, boss?"_

_Cane held up his darkened right hand. _

_For the first time, he was speechless._


	21. Chapter 21

_Hey everybody! Don't hate me! Just enjoy! lol_

_MeechieNikole_

* * *

I had done something right.

Or, at least that's what it felt like. It wasn't a win but I had caught Cane off guard.

There was something victorious about that. I no longer felt lost in this dark abyss where my own life wasn't, in fact, my own. I had made a huge difference. And now, Cane was on the defense. This whole week had been... amazing. My missions are much more fun than before, I enjoy my friends, but not without mourning the loss of Phil. Herman seemed to be getting much better with maintaining his old powers. I would see the old Herman everyday and that made me hopeful.

"You gonna eat that?" Herman stared at the last piece of pizza in the coffee table.

I smiled over at him and shook my head.

"Go ahead.

" "Sweet!" Herman hissed as he snatch the slice up.

We were in the common room watching t.v. after a long training session. It was obvious that Herman was getting his strength and humor back. I watched as he scarfed down the pizza in two bites. He then licked his fingers and winked at me.

"Tastiest pizza ever. Even better than Hawking's Pizzeria!" He declared.

I laughed but shook my head.

"Not even close. Hawking's cannot be duplicated." I smirked.

"You cannot compare this cheesy goodness to Hawking's Pizzeria! I mean it does have memories but... I mean come on!"

I laughed and nodded.

"It was pretty good." I smiled over at him and he smiled back at me.

It was pretty amazing how fast our relationship had grown in the past few days. Herman had taken really well to his powers and he was even getting close to some of the crew. But his closeness to me could not be compared.

"You know I'm going to have to leave at some point." I took in his statement and thought carefully about my next words. Herman was a dear friend, I wasn't sure if I was ready for him to leave.

"You can leave when you're ready." I said surely.

"But that's just it, I don' think I'll ever be ready." He stopped and looked at me. I looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, look at what an adventure this has been! Of course there were a fair share of cuts and bruises-"

"Herman, you were beaten to a bloody pulp and had shock therapy to force your memories back." I cut in.

"Ahhh same thing. I mean, I've gotten my power back and handled-"

"Barely"

"-I've made some new friends, have you hung out with Impulse? The guy is hilarious! I've met Superman! THE Superman... and I got you back."

The last part was very short and small compared to his enthused voice before.

I turned back to the t.v.

"Of course you got me, we're friends forever, Herman." He snorted,

"Friends." I didn't reply to this outburst, instead I tried to focus on whatever was going on on the tv.

"I gave in you know..." He started,

"When Cane came and threatened Penelope, it didn't mean as much as when he said he had you. That's when I willingly gave in." I swallowed.

"You love Penelope-"

"I love you, Leila." He cut me off.

I couldn't help but look right in his eyes.

"Don't get me wrong. Penelope... she is... amazing. But... I had forgotten how much you meant to me." His voice sounded as if he was running across an epiphany. I looked away, diverted my eyes to any place but his own.

"I know that you have feelings for Nightwing and I know he has feelings for you. But how far do they go?" He questioned.

I gave in and looked at him again.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Nightwing can love you behind closed doors, but what about in front of the world. Where everyone can see-"

"It's more complicated than that."

"No it's not, Leila," He scooted closer to me on the couch, his voice much more intense, "M'gann and Conner did it! Heck Green Arrow and Black Canary did it. So what makes Nightwing so different?!"

I stopped to think about this. Herman didn't understand. H-He didn't know Nightwing like I did.

"I know you, Leila. Better than you think. You yearn not to only be loved in the darkness but to have love that all can see. A love that the guy is unafraid to show. I know about your insecurities about Nightwing and Batgirl. But me? Leila I've loved you fiercely all my life! Since we were kids! Why would I ever hide it?"

He touched my face and massaged my cheek with his thumb. He had hit my weakness. I was insecure about the fact that I stayed hidden and that Batgirl and Nightwing went on constant missions together. It rocked me. And what Herman was offering... was stability. But I loved Nightwing... right?

"You're not gonna want to be in the shadows for the rest of your life, Leila." He whispered so softly.

I closed me eyes and tried to think... to process what Herman was saying and what was in my heart. I was confused... beyond confused. I was lost. I felt his lips press onto mine and his hands snake around my waist. I tried to make sense of what was going on. His lips felt similar to Nightwing's but more rugged. And the dizziness I felt when Nightwing kissed wasn't like this, this was rushed and confusing. I allowed my lips to heat up until Herman flinched away.

"Ouch." He chuckled rubbing his lips. I scooted as far from him on the couch as I possibly could.

"That wasn't fair."

"Maybe not. But it let me know that not only do you have feelings for me, but you have doubts about Nightwing. And I can live with that." He kissed my forehead, and left the common room. I stayed seated and stared into space.

"What have you done, Leila." I whispered to myself.

* * *

The combat training field looked somewhat the same as it had when I had first been in there. There were more lights though. This level for Herman was much lower than what they had put for mine.

"Now, this is to see how well you do with team mates." Nightwing called out as his voice echoed all over the room.

Batgirl, Miss Martian, Impulse, and Superboy were also in the field with us.

"Let's get it going, Mal!" Nightwing called up. Without much time, there was a small rumble from the ground beneath us. Herman, who was standing next to me, spoke lowly.

"Thought any more on my offer." He asked I looked around and everyone else was watching their backs for the source of the rumble.

"It wasn't an offer. More like a demand. And no, I haven't." I hissed.

Herman smiled. "You have. I can tell." He jerked his hands out and electricity danced around his fingers.

"I've been thinking of ways to crush you with different types of rocks." I said looking in every direction.

"Ha! Ok. But you're thinking about me." I looked over at him and glared but he smiled at me and winked.

"Could you foc-" but my sentence was stopped short as Herman knocked me out of the way of a flying boulder. We landed side by side.

"Way to focus, Element." He smiled.

"Thanks." I huffed as he helped me up.

We watched as everyone went in to fight the huge android. I noticed Nightwing and Batgirl doing some duo maneuvers.

"You gonna stand there or fight?" Herman asked running towards the action. I rolled my eyes and ran right behind him. I jumped up as high as I could and threw fireballs at the robot but it flicked me away. I crashed into the wall. I sat up only to see that Batgirl had fallen beside me.

"You all right?" I asked helping her up.

"Oh yea. Live for this." She smiled and me and we both ran up to give it another try. Suddenly Batgirl was swipe away by a quick force. I looked over to my left and there was Nightwing. He had knocked Batgirl down for some reason... He spoke to her quick and she simply pointed to me. Nightwing turned to me and a look of shock and horror ran through his face.

"Element!" I heard Herman shouted.

It took me a second to process that Nightwing didn't knock Batgirl down, he knocked her out of the way. Almost on time, a powerful pain struck me and I could feel that I was no longer on my feet. A sharp pain rose up my head and my lungs like they were bursting as I screamed painfully.

"Stop the training, Mal!" Nightwing boomed.

I felt a numbness set all over my body.

"Leila!" Superboy's voice was the closest to me but I didn't want to open my eyes.

"Leila, please be alright. Leila I'm so sorry, I didn't see you. I would've-" Nightwing's voice was panicked and overwhelmed.

"What the hell was that?" Herman shouted. I finally opened my eyes to see a crowd of people hovering above me.

"I'm fine." I coughed out as blood dripped down my mouth.

"I'm going to get Dr. Fort." M'gann flew out of the field.

"I didn't see her... I saw Batgirl... but I didn't see-" Nightwing seemed somewhat dazed.

"Oh sure you didn't." Herman growled at Nightwing.

Nightwing looked up at him angry, but guilty. Herman pushed himself to the front and picked me up bridal style.

"I've got you." He hushed me.

I shook my head.

"I can walk." I insisted.

"But Leila-"

"Put me down!" I urged.

Herman reluctantly set me down.

I stood for about two seconds until I felt myself losing balance. Superboy caught me and picked me up this time.

"I had her!" Herman demanded.

"Superboy's good." I reassured him.

I allowed Superboy to take me to the ward. After hours of treatment and medicine, I was finally released but with a week leave from any activities. I went immediately to the training room to let everyone know. But instead of training, I walked in on a fight... between Herman and Nightwing. I walked in and everyone was standing around them with nervous looks on their faces.

"I didn't see her!" Nightwing said darkly.

"How could you not see her?! She was right next to Batgirl."

"I-I wasn't paying attention." He mumbled lowly. I stepped in between Superboy and Miss Martian as the two went at it.

"Right. And now, she's hurt or worse. Psh like you care for her at all." Herman turned to leave.

"Don't you dare question my motives to this team!"

"Ha!" Herman whirled around, "I wasn't even talking about the damn team! I was talking about you and Leila's relationship. Or lack there of."

Some gasped in response. Nightwing's mouth opened slightly. "Oh! Were people not supposed to know about it? Cause you clearly did a good job of hiding it." I instinctively stepped foreward.

"Herman! Stop!" I ordered.

He turned to me somewhat relieved.

"Leila! Thank goodness. Tell them! Tell them all about how he may rock at the hero business but needs a little help on his personal life."

"What are you trying to prove!" I shouted angrily.

"That I love you more than he does!" Herman begged.

I looked at Nightwing and he was looking at me. I shook my head.

"I can't deal." I mumbled turning to leave, but Herman gripped my hand.

"Tell them! Tell Nightwing how hurt you feel when you have to hide in the bedrooms and private places! Tell him about him and batgirl!"

"Wait... what?" Batgirl chimed in, "I've got nothing to do with it."

"You've got everything to do with it!" Herman brought me forward. I just looked at them both shaking my head.

"Leila..." Nightwing stared. "Leila, Leila, Leila. I've loved her for years no hiding no secrets."

"Shut up!" Nightwing growled under his breath.

"Make me." Herman sized up to Nightwing.

"Stop!" I shouted loudly "I just got out of the freakin hospital and I still get kind of dizzy if I focus for to long so can we not do this now!" I begged, feeling my head pounding.

"Sure..." Herman said, turning back to me. But, he instantly turned back to Nightwing. "By the way, I'd be careful of how you treat her. I wouldn't want to lose lips like hers. They're amazingly soft."

Nightwing didn't hesitate to punch him directly in the nose.

It was over. In an instant, Nightwing was on top of Herman, punching the crap out of him. Herman reached for Nightwing's leg and shocked him until he fell off.

I just watch in complete shock as Mal and Conner separated the two.

"You have no idea how I feel about her!" Nightwing shouted as Conner took him away.

"Yeah, I can tell by the way you let that droid knock the shit out of her!" Herman shouted.

They both left from separate doors. After the noise subsided, all eyes were on me.

"You... and... Nightwing?" Beast Boy asked somewhat shocked and hurt. I didn't speak, I didn't know what to say. I allowed the tears to flow down my face. I didn't speak to or look at anyone. I left the room and went up to my bedroom and hid under my blankets.


End file.
